Jurassic Kratts
by Stegosaurus1412
Summary: After an incident that nearly cost Chris his life, the Wild Kratts team are invited to a biological preserve off the Costa Rican coast. It's an adventure of prehistoric proportions, encountering animals time has left behind. But little do they know that a storm is brewing...
1. On The Creature Trail Again

**Hi, I'm Stegosaurus1412 and I'm new to this site. If it's not already obvious, I'm a huge fan of prehistory and the natural world, ever since I was young, and I was [and still am] also a fan of all those cool naturalists like Jeff Corwin, Steve Irwin, Nigel Marven, and of course the Kratt Brothers. I only recently started watching the Wild Kratts series and I immediately fell in love. And of course, who doesn't like JP? This crossover was inspired by a short story and original concept of dragonrider1234, who's really good at writing fanfics, but sadly, that idea was abandoned and left open. So I say, thank you dragonrider for the inspiration, and if you're there, this one's for you. *Original story at s/11431551/1/A-Life-to-Care-For The story's gonna take place after the events of this fanfic, so I recommend that you read that story before proceeding any further...**

If any of you readers have any ideas or suggestions, I'm open.

*DISCLAIMER: I do not own either Wild Kratts or Jurassic Park..

On The Creature Trail Again...

Deep in the Amazon rainforest, the jungle is bustling with activity; the spider monkeys were swinging from tree to tree looking for ripe fruit, the booming calls of the male howler monkeys sounded across the canopy, and in the forest's understory, the local jaguar was on the prowl, in search of her next meal. It was the rainy season, but on this day the sun's rays penetrate through the leafy curtains of the canopy, shimmering its light on the mighty

Amazon river, making it seem as clear and as smooth as glass. While the caimans were basking on the river bank, letting their cold blooded bodies soak up the sun's warmth, a canoe could be seen gliding through the water, its passengers singing and laughing, ever so anxious for the day's adventure.

They were none other than the brothers Kratt, Martin and Chris.

It's been several months since they stopped a band of poachers on the African savannah. Months since a bold and reckless move nearly cost the younger Kratt his life. And months since he discovered another purpose in his life besides protecting the creatures they love. Since then, Chris and Aviva have become an almost inseparable couple, much to the rest of the crew's delight (it was bound to happen sooner or later..), so it was scarcely surprising that whenever the two creature adventurers returned to the Tortuga HQ after a day's adventure, Chris would often be greeted by Aviva's loving embrace and a light peck on the lips, sometimes earning a "Get a room!" from a mischievous Martin, causing them to flush bright red.

And since that fateful day, the bond between the two brothers was now stronger than ever. "Don't ever do that again bro," said the Kratt in blue rather seriously the morning after the incident. Then he added with a wink,"at least not without me."

The two were currently paddling through the river, eyes looking in all directions, pointing out animals that came in their direction, admiring the pristine, tranquil state of the rainforest. But the jungle's silence was broken by a series of shrill calls and screeching coming from above.

Looking in the general direction of the calls, the brothers spy a flock of tawny birds flying overhead. Taking note of their distinctive crests, they could immediately recognize them as "Hoatzins!" The hoatzins, however, paid the excited Kratts little mind, and continued their flight downriver.

Martin and Chris exchange knowing glances before the Kratt in blue asked, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Chris smiled as he replied, "Oh, I'm totally thinking what you're thinking, bro. I think.." Then they both shout in unison: "Follow that flock!" before paddling in the path taken by the birds.


	2. Unexpected Call

After about ten minutes riding down the current, Martin and Chris see their destination: a grove of mangrove trees at the edge of the river, the nesting grounds of the hoatzins. At least a twenty birds were seen in the branches, cleaning their feathers, or attending their offspring.

After securing their canoe by a convenient tree, the two creature adventurers then climbed another tree to get a closer look. Chris, being the better climber of the two, perched himself on a stout branch above Martin's head, Creaturepod at the ready.

"Hey, Martin. Get a load of this," he whispered, gesturing to a nest which housed a pair of grey chicks, being fed by their mother.

"Those baby hoatzins must be a few weeks old, and Mom is feeding them regurgitated food, usually made up of the leaves she eats."

"P.U!" said Martin as he inched a little closer to the nest. "Now I know why hoatzins are sometimes called 'stink birds'. They wreak! And that's just what I'm gonna call him," gesturing to the nearest chick. "Stink Bomb."

Chris couldn't help but chuckle at his older brother's habit of naming creatures. Then he noticed a strange feature on the chicks' wings. "Check out Stink Bomb's wings; each one has two curved claws at the end."

"Kinda reminds me of a miniaturized raptor, or an Archaeopteryx, one of the first birds of the Jurassic period . If I recall, baby hoatzins use their claws as grappling hooks among the branches, so they don't fall in the water."

"And they lose those claws as they get ol—" Chris froze, seeing movement in the undergrowth below. Suddenly a tawny figure with a spotted hide crept out of cover, advancing towards the nest. However, its presence has not gone unnoticed by the Kratts or the adult hoatzins.

"An ocelot!" cried Martin.

Upon seeing the threat, a nearby stink bird warbled an alarm, prompting the rest of the flock to fly at the intruder. The young, meanwhile, take cover among the thick branches. However, the cat could see through their disguise, so ignoring the bombarding adults, he continued his advance, towards Stink Bomb and his sibling!

"Stink Bomb, watch out!" hollered the Kratt in blue.

Sensing that they've been seen, the two hoatzin chicks quickly scrambled out of the nest, plunging into the river before the ocelot could reach them. Upon missing his would be victims, the ocelot retreated back into the thicket, taking his search for breakfast elsewhere.

"Did they make it?" asked Martin in worry. This question was answered when two gray figures plopped out from beneath the surface, swimming back for their arboreal refuge. "They made it!" exclaimed both Kratts in unison, laughing and cheering with glee as Stink Bomb and his sister returned to their nest, with the aid of their primitive claws.

Martin and Chris were still hooting and hollering when their Creaturepods started ringing. " Martin, Chris, come in Kratt Bros." It was none other than Koki Bambrick, the technician and computer whizz of the Wild Kratts crew. "What is it, Koki?" asked the Kratt in green and his Creaturepod revealed the technician's hologram.

"You boys need to return to the Tortuga. It's urgent." They didn't need to be told twice.

After taking a short but rather perilous trail across the rainforest, the brothers Kratt made it to the jungle clearing were the Tortuga was parked. Chris was in the lead, and as he raced up the ramp, the Tortuga's doors parted, revealing the beautiful young woman waiting for him. "Aviva! We're back!"

"Chris!" cried Aviva excitedly as she flung herself in the younger Kratt's embrace, before capturing his lips in a short, but sweet kiss. It didn't take Chris long to kiss her in return.

At this point, Martin came inside the HQ, smiling at the happy couple. They sure are cute together, he thought, before asking Koki, "So, what's this urgent news?"

The computer whizz was about to answer when something caught her eye. " Umm.. Martin? You have a fish on your leg.." The Kratt in blue looked down, and indeed it was a red piranha with its lockjaws in a death grip on his shorts. "Oh right, we kinda took the short cut on the way back here." he admitted sheepishly as he went back outside to take his aquatic passenger to a nearby stream. Needless to say, a girlish scream was heard from outside, prompting the rest of the crew to burst into laughter.

As soon as Martin returned, did they turn their attention back to more important matters. "Well," Koki began, "while you two were out creature adventuring, we received a message–"

"Zach's trying to kidnap baby animals again!" Martin interrupted.

"No."

"Gourmand's capturing river dolphins for his endangered animal delicacy!" added Chris.

"No!"

"They've changed pizza prices agai–" suggested Jimmy Z who had just woke up from his usual nap, but he never finished his statement when an irritated Koki yelled, "NO!"

"Oh" said all the boys before asking, "What is it? What is it? What is it?" Both Aviva and Koki heaved a sigh. Men are stupid.. The inventor took over.

"What Koki was trying to say was while you boys were absent, we received a message from InGen's CEO."

"John Hammond?"

Now, the Wild Kratts team had known John Hammond since they first started their mission to save animals around the globe. The kindly old man was a nature enthusiast at heart, and was one of their biggest supporters, giving them the funds needed to carry out their crusade. But except once or twice, the team were rarely contacted, though they were given his generous donations annually.

Before Aviva could say more, the Tortuga's phone started ringing. Koki answered, and an old man wearing white appeared on the computer screen. It was none other than John Hammond, head of InGen.


	3. The Invitation

"Greetings, Wild Kratts." said Mr. Hammond through the computer screen. "And greetings to all of you; Mrs. Corcovado, Mrs. Bambrick and Mr. Z. It's good to see you all again,"

"It's good to see you too, Mr. Hammond," replied Aviva. "Sorry we couldn't reply sooner; we were waiting on a certain pair of creature adventurers." she added, casting a glance at Chris and Martin before returning her attention to their guest. "Is something wrong?"

"I wanted to speak to Mr. Kratt—" at this point, the entrepreneur was cut off by a "Yes?" from the brothers. "As I was saying, I needed to speak to Mr. Christopher Kratt," Hammond corrected with a chuckle. "I heard all about the incident in Africa. Are you alright?"

Chris glanced at his girlfriend, who winced at the mention of that dreadful day. Then recomposing himself, he answered, " With all do respect, Mr. Hammond, call me Chris."

"And please, just call me Martin. It'll make things easier.." added Martin.

Rolling his eyes at his brother's antics, the Kratt in green continued," and secondly, I'm fine." He then added in his best English accent, "Tis but a flesh wound." Aviva elbowed him on the ribs. "OWW! But in all seriousness, it's all in a day's work. And if it weren't for that, it would've taken me a lot longer to realize that I had someone very special to live for." Here he glanced lovingly at Aviva, who had tears running down her face, a smile on her features, before the inventor pulled him into a tight embrace.

Silence followed. Not a single person had dry eyes, including Mr. Hammond. The couple before him reminded the old man of the happier days with his wife, sadly now passed. He wiped a stray tear from his eye before regaining his composure. "Congratulations Mr. Kra- Chris. I'm glad to see that everything's just fine. And if I may, you two make an adorable couple. I can tell that much. Which reminds me..

" I like you. All of you. I can tell quite instantly about people; it's a gift." Hammond paused. Upon seeing he had the whole crew's attention, he continued, "I own an island, off the coast of Costa Rica. I've leased it from the government and I've spent the last five years setting up a kind of biological preserve. Really spectacular, spared no expense. It'll make the one I've got down in Kenya look like a petting zoo. And there's no doubt, our attractions will drive kids out of their minds."

"I can imagine," murmured Martin to his brother. Out loud, he asked: "But what could possibly beat that reserve?" For it was the same location for most of the Wild Kratt's African adventures, including the encounter with the poachers.

"Glad you asked, Mr.–Martin. Not just kids. Everyone. We're going to open next year, that is, if the lawyers don't kill me first. I don't care for lawyers, do you?"

The Wild Kratts team exchanged glances before Chris replied, "Oh, we... don't really know, really."

"Nope." said Martin and Jimmy.

"Mm-mm" murmured Koki.

"We don't really know any," said the inventor.

"Well, I do I'm afraid. This particular pebble in my shoe represents my investors. That they insist on outside opinions."

"What kind of opinions?" Jimmy Z couldn't help but wonder.

"Well, you're kind not to put too fine a point on it. I mean, let's face it... in your particular field you're the top minds. And if I could just persuade you, to sign off on the park, give it your endorsement, maybe even pen a wee testimonial, I could get right back on shedule, er... schedule."

"Why would they care what we think?" asked Martin.

"What kind of park is this? I doesn't sound like the one in Kenya at all." asked a very intrigued Chris. His older brother nodded in agreement.

Hammond smiled before he replied," It's right up your alley. I tell you what. Why don't you come down, all of you, for the weekend."

The two Kratts gave it some thought. They haven't been doing much lately, and it was almost as though every villain and poacher had taken a vacation. Besides, they were insatiably curious as to the nature of this mysterious attraction. After exchanging knowing glances, the brothers voiced out their thoughts in unison: " Count us in!" The rest of the crew cheered in agreement, for they too thought it was time for a much needed break.

"Wonderful! This weekend then. Oh, and be sure to check your email for any directions, instructions and other details. Until then.." Then he signed off.


	4. Welcome to Jurassic Park

After the arrangements were made, the Wild Kratts team left the Amazon behind them and flew to mainland Costa Rica, where an InGen helicopter was waiting to take them to the island. Once the essentials were packed, and after convincing JZ to leave the Tortuga, they were ready.

"Don't worry, Jimmy. It'll only be for two days." said Koki trying to reassure a distraught Jimmy once they took off. "I know," replied the Tortuga pilot." It's just we've never gone anywhere without the Tortuga.." The Kratts, however, couldn't contain their joy.

"How exciting!" cheered the Kratt in blue, "I wonder what could be on that island?"

"My guess is as good as yours, bro.." added Chris, just as eager as his brother. "Guess we'll find out once we're there."

"Okay! Wait... How far is the island again, Aviva?"

"About 120 miles from the mainland." The inventor pondered for a bit before replying, " So about two hours, give or take 15 minutes.." She let the information sink in, then giggled upon hearing simultaneous groans from the brothers. Neither of them was known for their patience.

After a moment of silence, Jimmy asked: "Anyone wanna play Eye Spy?"

 *****Two hours later..******

"Lion!"

"Tiger!"

"Lion!"

"Tiger!"

Since the halfway point of the flight, the two brothers were in a debate as to which big cat was king of the jungle, much to the rest of the team's dismay. Aviva, having been staring out the window since the argument began, noticed a speck of green over the horizon. "Guys! We're here!"

Koki and Jimmy got the message immediately and stared in Aviva's direction. Martin and Chris, however, were still raging on in their debate to even take notice.

"I say that the lion is, and always will be, the king of beasts." argued Martin, taking the lion's side. Chris wasn't swayed, but he countered," But the tiger is larger and stronger. He can even take down prey twice his size, singlehanded!" Aviva then decided that enough was enough.

"Lion!" yelled Martin.

"Guys?" Aviva asked, trying to get their attention.

"Tiger!" hollered Chris.

"Hey, you guys.." She was starting to get annoyed, again.

" _LION!/TIGER!_ " shouted the brothers simultaneously.

" _GUYS!_ "

" _WHAT?_ "

Grabbing each face in her hands, Aviva turned the bros' attention towards the window, where the island seemed to be getting bigger. Their eyes grew as wide as saucers.

"WE'RE HERE!" shouted the Kratts in unison, the debate lost in their excitement. The team took in the island's scenery; vast mountain ranges surrounded by pristine jungle, not unlike the Amazon rainforest they left behind. After several miles, the chopper hovered over what looked like a jungle clearing bordering a cascading waterfall.

"Increible," murmured Aviva in Spanish.

"Beautiful." added Koki.

"Awesome," said Martin and Chris simultaneously.

"Leave it to Mr. Hammond to pick such a lovely place to-AGHH!" Jimmy's statement was cut short as the helicopter descended less than gracefully towards the landing pad. This, however prompted the bros to laugh while the rest of the crew searched for their seat belts.

Soon everyone was secured, everyone, that is, except for Chris. After a few minutes of trial and error (and Martin's obnoxious laughter), the younger Kratt managed to tie himself, with a little help from his girlfriend.

The moment the chopper was on solid ground, the five passengers disembarked, to meet John Hammond waiting for them. He was wearing his usual white attire, the only difference being the straw hat adorning his head and the fact that he was supported by a bamboo cane with an amber colored pendant on its hilt. And he wasn't alone.

Behind the entrepreneur were four other people, three men and one woman. The man in the lead wore a blue long sleeve shirt, khaki pants, and a beige brim hat adorned his head. The woman at his right had short, golden blonde hair tied in a bun. She was adorned with a lavender plain top, covered by an orange cardigan and khaki shorts. The man on Hammond's left was also wearing khaki shorts, the only difference being his suit; he must've been the lawyer InGen's CEO was talking about days before. The last one was wearing sunglasses, and he was covered in black from head to toe, he almost resembled Zach with the exception that his skin wasn't pale, had curly hair instead of cheap hair gel, and was far from scrawny.

Gesturing to the crowd at his side, Hammond began introductions. "I'd like you to meet Dr. Alan Grant, he's a paleontologist. And this is Dr. Ellie Sattler, she's a paleobotanist. This here, is Mr. Donald Gennaro. He represents my investors. And lastly, we have Dr. Ian Malcolm, he's a mathematician—"

"Chaotician! Chaotician actually." Malcolm interrupted, much to Mr. Hammond's slight annoyance.

Now addressing the new crowd, Mr. Hammond gestured to the Wild Kratts team. "These are the Wild Kratts; Mrs. Aviva Corcovado, Mrs. Koki Bambrick, Mr. James Norville Z," Both teams looked at Jimmy incredulously. "Yes, that's my full name. Just don't use it." Clearing his throat, John corrected," Sorry, Jimmy Z. These two gentlemen here are-"

"The Kratt Brothers, Martin and Chris, right?" asked Dr. Malcolm before noticing Hammond's deadpan stare and the Kratts' raised eyebrows. "Sorry. My eldest daughter is a big fan of yours–"

"Wild Kratts kid Kelly Malcolm?" asked the two creature adventurers simultaneously. "We remember Kelly; she was an inspiration to Wild Kratts kids everywhere! She would help turtles cross the road." said Martin, smiling at the memory. " And don't forget the time she aided an injured jack rabbit," added Chris fondly. It took the bros a while to notice the blank faces staring at them, but when they did, the Kratt in green elbowed his brother before saying," Umm.. It's nice to meet you all."

"Are they always like that?" Alan asked the rest of the Wild Kratts team. Aviva replied:" You have no idea, Señor.."

Not long afterward, four jeeps appeared, each bearing a logo with a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. Dr. Grant, Dr. Sattler, and Dr. Malcolm boarded the first one, Hammond and Gennaro took second, Martin, Chris, and Aviva rode the third, and Jimmy and Koki took the rear. While the vehicles drove down the jungle path, the doctors and the Wild Kratts took in their surroundings. The lawyer, however, had more on his mind than admiring the natural scenery.

"The full 50 miles of perimeter fence are in place?"asked Gennaro. Hammond responded in an annoyed tone," And the concrete moats, and the motion sensor tracking systems. Donald, dear boy, relax. Try to enjoy yourself."

"Let's get something straight, John. This is not a weekend excursion. This is a serious investigation of the stability of the island. Your investors, who I represent, are deeply concerned. Forty-eight hours from now, if they're not convinced, I'm not convinced. I'll shut you down, John."

The entrepreneur only chuckled before saying, "In forty-eight hours, I'll be accepting your apologies."

The jeeps continued through the trail until they reached a vast, green meadow where they came to a stop. The Kratts exchanged puzzled glances before Martin voiced out their thoughts: "Why'd we stop?"

"Dunno, dude,"answered Chris before looking out the window, eventually spotting a large silhouette among the trees. The Kratt in green stared for what seemed an eternity, squinting before the figure decided to show itself. When it did, Chris' eyes flew wide open.

"Martin, Aviva!" he whispered loudly, causing his brother and girlfriend to glance in the direction he was staring. What they saw made their eyes grow as wide as saucers, jaws dropping.

From out of the trees came a large animal, far bigger than any elephant they've met on their travels. Its bulk was supported by four pillar-like legs, the front limbs being longer than the rear ones. But the most striking feature was the creature's long, vertical neck and its powerful, cedar-like tail. It was a creature from a very different age, yet the creature adventurers could identify it as a "Brachiosaurus!"

The Brachiosaurus was too preoccupied browsing the treetops to notice the trio leaving the vehicle, anxious to get a closer look. Taking his Creaturepod, Chris then asked," Koki, Jimmy. Are you seeing this?" He got his answer upon seeing their awed expressions on the holographic screen, neither could utter a word. He looked to his right and saw that Dr. Grant and Dr. Sattler have also disembarked from their jeep, both staring in awe at the colossal herbivore before them, one who's family they had been studying for many years, now in the flesh. It didn't take long for Hammond to join them, a wide grin evident on his features.

"Oh, Ellie, we could just tear up the rule book on cold-bloodedness." said Grant. "It doesn't apply. They're totally wrong. This is a warm blooded creature."

"This thing doesn't live in a swamp," the paleobotanist replied. At the point the Kratt brothers approached them. "So," began Martin, slightly startling the paleontologist out of his trance "I'm guessing this changes a few things in your field journal." Grant shook his head. "No. This changes everything,"

"This thing's got a what? 25, 27 foot neck?" The Kratt in green couldn't help but wonder. "The brachiosaur has a 30 foot neck." responded a voice behind him. Chris turned around to see that Mr. Hammond had joined them.

The Brachiosaurus then blared a trumpeting call before it reared up on its hind legs, reaching the highest branches, 50 feet above, ultimately descending with a crash which shook the very earth beneath it.

Gennaro couldn't tear his eyes from the scene, and thought aloud to himself, " We're gonna make a fortune with this place."

"How fast are they?" asked Aviva.

"Well, we clocked the T. rex at 32 miles an hour.."the entrepreneur replied rather nonchalantly. Everyone else froze in shock at this new information.

"T-T. rex? You say you got a T. rex?" Ellie stammered. Hammond nodded.

"As in: Tyannosaurus rex?"asked the bros simultaneously, their eyes wide as saucers.

"Mm-hmm.." This caused the creature adventurers to collapse to the ground, taking the inventor with them.

"Say again?" asked Dr. Grant, grabbing Hammond's shoulder. "We–we have a ." The old man confirmed, all smiles as the paleontologist struggled to pick up his feet, Ellie assisting him.

"Dr. Grant, Wild Kratts, my dear Dr. Sattler; Welcome to Jurassic Park."

The brothers were still stirring, and as Aviva struggled to lift both of them off the ground, their eyes bore witness to another spectacle lost in time: two more brachiosaurs lounging in a crystal clear lake, its banks teaming with other herbivorous dinosaurs with distinctive head crests, which they instantly recognized as Parasaurolophus.

"Increible." said Aviva.

Martin and Chris were stunned beyond words.

"They're moving in herds."muttered Dr. Grant in an awed voice, with Dr. Sattler at his side. "They do move in herds."

For the longest time, nobody said a word. Finally the silence was broken as Chris asked, "How'd you do this?"

John whispered, "I'll show you."


	5. How to Build a Dinosaur

Leaving the Brachiosaurus fields behind, the four jeeps continued driving until they reached their true destination; a large, concrete building in the center of a large clearing overlooking a shallow pond lined by palm trees. The building itself was impressive; sporting many fossil carvings along its base, massive glass windows, and covered by a roof made from fine straw. This was the Visitors Center. But nothing could prepare the visitors, scientist and creature adventurer alike, for what was inside.

The doors parted, revealing a vast circular lobby with two mounted dinosaur skeletons depicting a Tyrannosaurus attacking a hapless sauropod. Above the fossils hung a black banner with red lettering that said: When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth.

"Whoa..." said the Kratt Brothers.

"Increible." murmured Aviva.

"Wicked.." added Jimmy Z.

" It feels like a museum," stated Koki.

The scientists were no less impressed with the center's architecture, despite the fact that it wasn't completed yet.

"The most advanced amusement park in the entire world." announced Mr. Hammond in the lead. "And I'm not just talking about rides, you know? Everybody has rides. No, we have made living biological attractions so astounding, that they'll capture the imaginations of the entire planet. Spared no expense.."

"I'll say," muttered Chris, feasting his eyes on the scenery. "No kidding,"added the Kratt in blue.

As everyone ascended the closest staircase, Ellie took a glance at the paleontologist. "So what are you thinking?" she asked.

Alan replied,"We're out of a job."

"Don't you mean extinct?"asked Malcolm before hearing two thuds behind him. The mathematician looked back to see Martin and Chris fallen backwards down the stairs, unconscious. "What's with them?"

As Koki and Aviva were helping the fallen creature adventurers, the computer whizz sighed ," They're in their 'Extinct Species Trance' again. Imagining adventures that could've been." Everyone else just stared blankly before Dr. Sattler jokingly added, "Well, Alan would go through the same thing sometimes." earning her an unamused look from the said paleontologist. After nearly ten minutes, the Kratts were back on their feet and the tour resumed.

The tourists followed Hammond in what appeared to be a theatre. The scientists took the front row seats, the Wild Kratts team settled in the aisle behind them, while Gennaro sat in the back. "Here he comes. Here I come." Hammond said as he approached the screen where another John Hammond came hobbling in his direction. He then gestures the audience, "Say hello." prompting the scientists to return the hello rather awkwardly, though the Wild Kratts greeted the second Hammond with more enthusiasm.

"Hello John." greeted the entrepreneur on screen, as the real Hammond fumbled through his pockets, looking for his lines. "How did I get here?"

Having finally found his lines, Hammond answered, "Well, let me show you. First, I'll need a drop of blood. Your blood." before jabbing animated John's finger with a needle, causing him to flinch back in pain. "Ouch! John, that hurt!"

"Relax, John. It's all part of the miracle of cloning." At this point, the audience raised their eyebrows in doubt.

As more John Hammonds appeared on the screen, the scientists began to whisper among themselves.

"Cloning from what? Loy extraction has never recreated an intact DNA strand." murmured Dr. Grant skeptically. "Not without massive sequence gaps." added Ian, just as doubtful.

"Palaeo-DNA from what source? Where do you get 100-million-year-old dinosaur blood?" whispered the paleobotanist before Aviva added, "especially if the half-life of DNA is usually only 521 yea–" until she was cut off by a "Shhh" from the boys.

Back on the screen, an animated DNA strand materialized from animated Hammond's pricked finger, rapping him on the shoulder, causing the clone to look in it's direction before saying in mild surprise, "Oh, Mr. DNA! Where'd you come from?"

The strand replied, "From your blood. Just one drop of your blood contains billions of strands of DNA, the building blocks of life! A DNA strand, like me, is a blueprint for building a living thing. And sometimes, animals that went extinct (here the bros to fainted again..) millions of years ago, like dinosaurs, left their blueprints behind for us to find. We just had to know where to look.

"A hundred million years ago, there were mosquitoes, just like today. And just like today, they fed on the blood of animals. Even dinosaurs. Sometimes, after biting a dinosaur, the mosquito would land on the branch of a tree and get stuck in the sap.

"After a long time, the sap got hardened and became fossilized, just like a dinosaur bone, preserving the mosquito inside. This fossilized tree sap, which we call "amber," waited millions of years with the mosquito inside until Jurassic Park scientists came along. Using sophisticated techniques, they extract the preserved blood, and bingo! Dino DNA!" The audience was speechless. Why didn't they think about that?

"A full DNA strand contains three billion genetic codes. If we looked at screens like these once a second for eight hours a day, it'd take two years to look at the entire strand! It's that long! And since it's so old, it's full of holes! That's where our geneticists take over! Thinking Machine supercomputers and gene sequencers break down the strand in minutes and virtual reality displays shows our geneticists the gaps in the DNA sequence. Since most animal DNA is 90% identical, we used the complete DNA of a frog... to fill in the holes... and complete the... Codes!

"And now we can make a baby dinosaur."

The end of the presentation found the Wild Kratts team staring blankly at the screen, processing everything they had heard, when, to everyone's surprise, a series of bars came to rest at their laps, and the movie screen was replaced by a large laboratory, alive with scientists and technicians. Gennaro was the first to break the silence.

"This is overwhelming, John. Are these characters auto-erotica?"

"No,no,no we have no animatronics here. Those people are the real miracle workers of Jurassic Park."

"Wait a minute. How do you interrupt the cellular mitosis?" asked a puzzled Koki.

"Can we see the fertilized eggs?"asked Martin and Chris, barely able to contain their excitement.

"I'm sorry. It's kind of a ride."said Hammond. This didn't deter the Wild Kratts team however, as they pushed back the bars and raced to the lab. "Last one there's a rotten crocodile egg!"yelled the Kratt in blue. It didn't take long for the trio of scientists to follow their lead, leaving a bewildered Hammond and Gennaro with few options but to tag along with the excited crowd.

As the scientists and creature adventurers made their way into the lab, they couldn't help but start gazing and sightseeing at all the lights and gadgets while John greeted the nearest scientist, "Good day, Henry."

The Asian scientist, Dr. Henry Wu, looked up from his notepad and replied with a smile, "Good day, sir."

Chris was still looking around when he noticed that his brother's eyes were glued to an artificial nest, full of eggs which resembled those they've seen with flightless birds, like emus or ostriches, a robotic arm gently turning them. Judging by the gentle shaking, they were close to hatching. The Kratt in green then joined Martin in watching the eggs hatch, soon followed by the doctors and the rest of the crew.

"Perfect timing!"said Wu, noticing the sudden activity by the nest. "I hope they hatch before I had to go to the boat."

"Henry, Henry, Henry. Why didn't you tell me? I insist on being here when they're born." replied Hammond cheerfully as he made his way to the nearest egg, now held steady by the robotic arm.

"Come on, little one. Come on then, come on," coaxed the entrepreneur gently as the little dinosaur struggled to break free from its eggshell. "Very good. Push. Push. Very good. There you are." He then removed a large part of the eggshell to reveal a tiny, newborn dinosaur with a large head for its body size, and amber colored eyes. It then gave a small squeak which would have melted even the coldest hearts.

"Ay, que lindo.." cooed Aviva

"It's so cute." added Koki.

"They imprint on the first creature they come in contact with."said Hammond. "It helps them to trust. I've been present for the birth of every little creature on this island."

"Surely not the ones that are bred in the wild?" the Kratt in green wondered out loud.

"Actually they can't breed in the wild." replied Dr. Wu. "Population control is one of our security precautions. There's no unauthorized breeding in Jurassic Park."

"How do you know they can't breed?"asked Martin, now cradling the baby dinosaur.

"Because all the animals in Jurassic Park are female. We've engineered them that way."

"How do you know they're all female?" asked the pizza eating pilot. "Does somebody go out into the park and pull up the dinosaurs' skirts?"

The geneticist answered, "We control their chromosomes. It's really not that difficult. All vertebrate embryos are inherently female anyway, they just require an extra hormone given at the right developmental stage to make them male. We simply deny them that."

"Deny them that?" asked Dr. Sattler in mild disbelief. Ian chose that moment to butt in.

"John, the kind of control you're attempting simply is... it's not possible. If there is one thing the history of evolution has taught us it's that life will not be contained. Life breaks free, it expands to new territories and crashes through barriers, painfully, maybe even dangerously, but, uh... well, there it is."

"You're implying that a group composed entirely of female animals will... breed?" asked Dr. Wu with a raised eyebrow.

"No. I'm, I'm simply saying that life, uh... finds a way." A moment of silence...at least until everyone heard the Kratt in blue declare,"In that case, I'll call you Amber."

"Amber?" asked Chris incredulously.

"Yeah. Just look at her eyes. Wanna hold her Dr. Grant?" The paleontologist couldn't resist.

As he was holding Amber, Alan examined her features until he came upon a telltale claw on each of the little dinosaur's toes.

"What species is it?" he asked in mild horror.

Dr. Wu looked up from his notepad as he answered, "Amber's a Velociraptor."

"You bred raptors?"

The geneticist only nodded.

The room fell into dead silence. The only sounds that were heard were the humming of the machinery and the baby raptor's chirps. Who would have guessed that one day, cute little Amber would grow up into one of the deadliest killing machines in 75 million years?


	6. Meet the Velociraptors

Twenty minutes later found Alan, Aviva and the Kratt Brothers facing a highly fortified paddock with a watch tower, enclosed by electrified fences. The Velociraptor Enclosure.

"Dr. Grant! Wild Kratts!" boomed Hammond's voice behind them. The paleontologist's eyes never left the cage, but the creature adventurers and the inventor looked back to see the entrepreneur hobbling up to them, followed by everyone else. "As I was saying, we laid on lunch for you before you all set off into the park. Our gourmet chef Alejandro–"

"What are they doing?" questioned Grant as a large crane hoisting a black cow came into view, slowly headed towards the paddock. "Feeding them."

"Alejandro uhh has prepared a delightful menu for us. Chilean sea bass, I believe. Shall we?"

As the cow was descending further down, the tourists climbed up a series of stairs to a platform at the edge of the enclosure to get a better view. Soon enough the cow was submerged within the paddock's greenery, unaware of its impending doom.

Five desperate seconds passed. Suddenly a bloodcurdling shriek sounded from the inside, followed by the bovine's screams of pain. Two other screeches were heard, closing in to seal their prey's fate. Soon the tearing of flesh and the crunching of bones could be heard, along with growls and shrill squawks as the raptors fought for the choicest cuts.

The attack happened in only a matter of seconds. For the longest time, nobody spoke. All looked down upon the feeding theropods in horror and disgust. Even Martin and Chris, who have had years experience with witnessing predatory animals killing and devouring prey, went pale as they witnessed the feeding frenzy. _This_ was the terrifying creature that baby Amber was destined to become?

"They should all be destroyed!" shouted a voice ascending the stairs to the enclosure. The Wild Kratts team immediately perked up, having recognized the owner of that voice and they all turned to see a middle aged man in a safari outfit and brim hat. "Mr. Robert Muldoon!"

If Muldoon was surprised, he didn't show it as he casually walked up to the crowd and individually greeted each member of the Wild Kratts team before saying, "Well I'll be damned. What brings you blokes here?"

"We were about to ask you the same thing," replied the astonished Kratts simultaneously. "Hammond told me about that little skirmish in Africa. You've got nerves of steel, young Christopher."the hardy outdoorsman complimented, punching Chris' right shoulder, before noticing the raised eyebrows from the scientists. The looks on their faces revealed what they were wondering: Who is this and how did the Wild Kratts know him so well? Hammond answered for them.

"Robert Muldoon, my game warden from Kenya. He's also had the pleasure of assisting the Wild Kratts on many of their African adventures. A bit of an alarmist, I'm afraid, but he knows more about raptors than anyone else." Almost immediately was the game warden shaking hands with Dr. Grant, and bombarded with questions from the paleontologist.

"What kind of metabolism do they have? What's their growth rate?"

"They're lethal at eight months. And I do mean lethal." responded Muldoon quite seriously. "I've hunted most things that can hunt you, but the way these things move..."

"Fast for a biped?"

"Cheetah speed. Fifty, sixty miles an hour if they ever got into the open. And they're astonishing jumpers." The brothers were astonished, "A bipedal predator as fast as Blur? That's awesome." they marveled in unison.

"Increible." murmured Aviva. This was definitely something for the Creature Power Suits.

"So... They can bite, slash and run? Talk about a triple threat," murmured Jimmy Z, still shaken up by the carnage they had witnessed.

"Yes, yes, yes, that's why we're taking extreme precautions." added Hammond.

"Do they show intelligence? " asked Dr. Grant. "Because their brain cavities—"

"They show extreme intelligence. Even problem-solving intelligence. Especially the big one. We bred eight originally, but when she came in, she took over the pride and killed all but two of the others. That one...when she looks at you, you can see she's working things out. It's why we have to feed them like this; she had them all attacking the fences when the feeders came." He then heard Martin exclaim, "Bloody Mary! That's what I'm gonna name her."

"Bloody Mary? Seriously bro?" asked Chris incredulously. The game warden rolled his eyes at their antics. They haven't changed a bit..

"The fences are electrified, right?" pondered the Tortuga technician as to why security in these parts was taken so seriously.

"That's right, Mrs. Bambrick, but they never attacked the same place twice. They were testing the fences for weaknesses, systematically. They remember."

The mechanical humming of the crane was heard once more. Returning their attention to the paddock, the visitors noticed that the harness that once carried the cow was now torn to shreds. Nothing remained.

A long pause. Breaking the silent atmosphere, the InGen CEO asked, "So... Who's hungry?" Another long pause. Eventually hunger won over fear, and the tourists took the trail back in the direction they came.


	7. Opinions

Lunch was served in a private dining room alive with projection screens, all showing pictures and concepts of future attractions. Except for Jimmy Z, few had the stomach to eat the food presented to them by the waiters.

"None of these attractions are ready yet, of course," said Hammond, referring to the adds on the screens. "But the park will open with the basic tour you're about to take, and then other rides will come on line six or twelve months after that. Absolutely spectacular designs. Spared no expense."

"And we can charge anything we want, 2,000 a day, 10,000 a day, and people will pay it. And then there's the merchandise... " added the lawyer.

"Donald, Donald... " Hammond replied. "This park was not built to cater only for the super-rich. Everyone in the world has the right to enjoy these animals, especially nature lovers such as yourselves." he added to the Wild Kratts team.

"Sure, they will. Well, we'll have a, a coupon day or something." This earned a chuckle from the entrepreneur. Dr. Malcolm decided to finally address the elephant in the room.

"Gee, the lack of humility before nature that's being displayed here, uh... staggers me."

"Well thank you, Dr. Malcolm, but I think things are a little bit different then you and I had feared... "

"Yeah, I know. They're a lot worse."

"Now, wait a second now, we haven't even seen the park... " but Gennaro was cut off as Hammond interrupted, "No, no, Donald, Donald, Donald... let him talk. There's no reason... I want to hear every viewpoint, I really do." The mathematician went on.

"Don't you see the danger, John, inherent in what you're doing here? Genetic power is the most awesome force the planet's ever seen, but you wield it like a kid that's found his dad's gun."

"It's hardly appropriate to start hurling generalizations..." added the lawyer before being cut off again, "If I may... Um, I'll tell you the problem with the scientific power that you're using here, it didn't require any discipline to attain it. You read what others had done and you took the next step. You didn't earn the knowledge for yourselves, so you don't take any responsibility for it. You stood on the shoulders of geniuses to accomplish something as fast as you could, and before you even knew what you had, you patented it, and packaged it, and slapped it on a plastic lunchbox," banging on the table, Malcolm continued, "and now you're selling it, you wanna sell it. Well.."

Hammond answered with as much calm as he could muster,"I don't think you're giving us our due credit. Our scientists have done things which nobody's ever done before... "

"Yeah, yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should."

"Condors." countered Hammond. "Condors are on the verge of exti-" here he froze, seeing warning looks from Aviva and Koki who were seated across the table. In a flash, he remembered what happened the last time that forbidden word was used. He cast a quick glance at the creature adventurers before he continued," Condors are on the verge of vanishing. If I was to create a flock of condors on this island, you wouldn't have anything to say."

Shaking his head, Ian countered back," No, hold on. This isn't some species that was obliterated by deforestation, or the building of a dam. Dinosaurs had their shot, and nature selected them for umm.." The mathematician paused, for lack of a better word. "For elimination." He looked at Martin and Chris to see them still seated at the table. That was close..

"I simply don't understand this Luddite attitude, especially from a scientist. I mean, how can we stand in the light of discovery, and not act?" said InGen's CEO in disbelief.

"What's so great about discovery? It's a violent, penetrative act that scars what it explores. What you call discovery, I call the rape of the natural world."

Dr. Sattler then voiced out her own thoughts, "Well, the question is, how can you know anything about an extinct ecosystem? And therefore, how could you ever assume that you can control it? I mean, you have plants in this building that are poisonous, you picked them because they look good, but these are aggressive living things that have no idea what century they're in, and they'll defend themselves, violently if necessary."

Hammond now turned his attention to the remaining people who had yet to speak. Sensing all eyes on him and the rest of the team, the Kratt in green spoke, "With much due respect, I think I speak for us both when I say that we'll save our opinions until after the tour, but as creature adventurers, we would love to learn more about these animals, especially since no one's ever had the chance to study them up close and in the flesh." And add something new to the life list, he added mentally.

"Though I have to agree with Dr. Malcolm and Dr. Sattler; these aren't exactly the creatures we study on a day to day basis. The Brachiosaurs are bigger than Thornsley's herd, and Mary and her pack mates make He-Who-Breathes-Fire look like a pussycat. Who knows what the other dinosaurs in the park are like?" added Koki doubtfully. Jimmy's blood went cold at the mention of the Velociraptors, recalling how they made mincemeat of the helpless cow.

"You all have valid arguments, and we respect that. But just give us a little more time." added Aviva taking her boyfriend's stand.

"I understand, take all the time you need." said Hammond patiently. "Dr. Grant, if there's one person here aside from the Wild Kratts team who could appreciate what I'm trying to do..."

There was a brief pause before the paleontologist began,"The world's just changed so radically, and we're all trying to catch up. I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but look: Dinosaurs and man, two species separated by sixty-five million years of evolution, have just been suddenly... thrown back into the mix together. As Mrs. Bambrick stated: How can we possibly have the slightest idea what to expect?"

"I don't believe it!" exclaimed the entrepreneur incredulously. "I don't believe it. You're meant to come down here and defend me against these characters (referring to Malcolm and Gennaro) and the only one I've got on my side is the blood-sucking lawyer!"

"Thank you." said a rather offended Gennaro, causing Martin to whisper to his brother,"I wonder if Hammond would think the same thing about Zach.." earning a muffled chuckle from Chris.

Soon enough, a waiter came into the dining room, and whispered a message for Hammond's ear. As the waiter left, InGen's CEO looked to his visitors before saying with a wide grin, "They're here."


	8. Prehistoric Safari

After lunch was finished, Hammond led his visitors back into the lobby. "You all are going to have a little company out in the park. Spend a little time with our target audience."

Martin turned to Chris. "Target audience?" The Kratt in blue got his answer when they all heard a pair of voices crying in unison: "Grandpa!"

"Kids!" exclaimed Hammond in open arms, only to be tackled by two children, a ten-year old boy with curly brown hair, wearing khaki shorts and blue t-shirt, and a twelve-year old girl with a blue baseball cap adorning her braided blonde hair, wearing blue jeans and violet plain top. These were John Hammond's grandchildren, Alexis and Tim Murphy.

The Wild Kratts team and Ellie looked on at the family reunion with adoration, the three gentlemen (Dr. Grant especially..), however, simply stared blankly.

Once the procession was outside, two modified Ford Explorers leaped out from an underground garage beneath the Visitors Center. They moved quietly, with a faint electric hum along the metal rail on the road. Soon they pulled to a stop where the visitors were gathered.

"Where are the drivers?" asked Jimmy Z, after noticing absolutely no one at all in the driver's seats.

"No drivers Mr. Z," answered Hammond, "they're electric cars, guided by this track in the roadway, and totally non-polluting, top of the line, spared no expense."

"Oh, I thought they were driven by ghosts.." the Tortuga pilot commented, earning chuckle from the computer whizz and the entrepreneur. "Have fun."

"Wait," said a puzzled Chris. "You're not coming with us, Mr. Hammond?"

"I'm afraid not, Chris. I'll be watching from the control room." With that being said, the old man made his way back inside the Visitors Center, leaving the tourists to pick out their spots in the cars.

Gennaro took the first car, along with Jimmy and Koki, while Malcolm sat with Dr. Sattler in the second, eventually joined by Lex, Martin, Chris, and Aviva.

"Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, ohmygosh, we're finally going on the tour!" said Martin, almost hyperventilating with excitement. "I hear ya, bro." replied the Kratt in green, who was just as enthusiastic as his brother at the chance of seeing more living, breathing dinosaurs in person, while Aviva rolled her eyes, giggling at the brothers' childlike anticipation. Knowing them, they would probably be talking a storm a mile a for the entire ride. "Are they okay?" asked a slightly worried Lex.

The inventor giggled once more as she replied, "Oh, they're just fine. They just get super excited about new creature adventures," especially the time I invented the Time Trampoline, she thought smiling at the memory.

"I'll say," added the mathematician." They're as excited as two kids on Christmas Day. Which worries me.." This turned Aviva's giggles into full blown laughter.

Soon enough the car door opened, revealing a slightly annoyed Dr. Grant followed by Tim, who was exhilarated to be with his role model. "Well, a few species may have evolved along those lines." said the paleontologist with as much patience as he could muster before the boy replied,"they sure don't look like birds to me." With a deep sigh, Grant got off from the car, making his way to the Explorer in the lead. Tim followed.

Seeing this, Ellie whispered something in his sister's ear. With a nod, Lex took off to follow her brother and the irritated paleontologist. "What's with him?"asked the Kratt in blue. The paleobotanist answered,"Alan's not exactly too fond of kids."

" _What?_!"asked the inventor and creature adventurers simultaneously.

"Yeah, according to him, they're noisy," clearing her throat, Ellie went on in her best Dr. Grant impersonation, chuckling every once in a while as the creature adventurers shook their heads incredulously. Malcolm simply chuckled at this "Messy, they're expensive... They smell."

"That's bogus!" yelled Chris in a fit of laughter, later joined by Martin.

"They do not!" added Aviva, unable to control her own laughter. However, all laughing ceased as the doors opened once more to reveal the paleontologist. He shot the paleobotanist with an unamused glance, "That wasn't funny, Ellie."he muttered before taking his place next to the Kratt Brothers, who were struggling to control the laughter which threatened to bubble from their lips. That wasn't hard after receiving an elbow from Aviva(or an ear yank in Martin's case..).

The moment the cars were loaded, the vehicles moved along the electric pathway, slowly on their own accord, while on the Explorers' speakers, a familiar voice announced," **Welcome to Jurassic Park.** "

"James Earl Jones? That's wicked!" exclaimed the Tortuga pilot in the first car. As the cars continued moving forward, they pass through two primitive gates, torches blazing on both sides. "What do they got in there? King Kong?" asked the mathematician jokingly.

After several minutes of driving, the two vehicles came to a pause in front of a fair sized paddock full of thick foliage. **"If you look to the right, you will see a herd of the first dinosaurs on our tour called Dilophosaurus**."

"Dilophosaurus!"exclaimed Dr. Grant in excitement.

"Awesome!" chorused the Kratts in unison.

"Dilophosaurus?" asked a confused Aviva.

"Dilopho-say what?" asked Koki via Aviva's Creaturepod.

"Who's Dilophosaurus?"wondered JZ.

The paleontologist cleared his throat as he answered, "Dilophosaurus; carnivore. North America. Early Jurassic."he said, as though giving a lecture at a university."Has two distinct rounded crests on its head. About twenty feet from nose to tail-"

" **One of the earliest carnivores, we now know Dilophosaurus was actually poisonous,** " said the speaker, cutting off Grant's lecture as everyone flooded the right sides of the cars, trying to catch a glimpse of the occupants. " **spitting venom at its prey, causing blindness and eventually paralysis, allowing the carnivore to eat at its leisure. This makes Dilophosaurus a beautiful, but deadly addition to Jurassic Park.** "

However, not a single Dilophosaurus showed itself from the enclosure's thick, green curtains. Silence reigned.

"I can't see anything,"whined Jimmy, unable to see anything in the dense undergrowth. "There's nothing there."stated Tim, equally as disappointed.

The same was true in the second tour vehicle; the looks of excitement that were glued to the creature adventurers' faces slowly turned into frowns of dismay. "Damn." muttered Grant.

"Cheer up, guys" said Aviva, trying to lighten up the gloomy atmosphere. "We'll probably catch a glimpse of them on the way back." This caused Chris to cast a small smile towards his girlfriend. She always knew how to cheer him up, even on his worst days.

"Koki. What's next on that tour map you got from the lobby?"the inventor asked her best friend through her Creaturepod.

"Let's see here. Okay. The next dinosaur on the tour is the Tyrannosaurus rex-" but the computer whizz was cut off as a bewildered Jimmy Z screamed," ?!"

"T. REX?!" chorused Martin and Chris, their excitement rejuvenated. "Awesome!"

 ** _****5 Minutes Later*****_**

"Not awesome," murmured a frustrated Martin. "Nobody's home!"

They all looked around the massive paddock on their left, which was lined with fifteen-foot fences clearly marked with "DANGER" posts. No sign of the King of Dinosaurs within the dense jungle of greenery.

The voice on the radio droned on," **The mighty tyrannosaurs arose late in dinosaur history. The dinosaurs ruled the earth for 160 million years, but it wasn't until at least the last 3 million-"**

"Will you turn that thing off?" asked an irritated Dr. Grant.

Ellie flipped the radio switch. They waited in silence; except for Malcolm, who stared at the ceiling, thinking aloud, "God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates Man. Man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs,"

"Dinosaur eats Man. Woman inherits the Earth." added the paleobotanist, earning a high five from the inventor and incredulous looks from the four men.

In the lead Explorer, a voice sounded over the radio, "Hold on, we'll try to tempt the rex.."

From inside the paddock, just at the edge of the forest, a low humming was heard. A small cage came into view, lifted by underground hydraulics. The cage bars slide back down, leaving the cage's occupant standing alone in the middle of the field. It was a goat, one leg chained to a stake, completely at the mercy of the predator lurking somewhere in the green depths. Confused, the goat bleats plaintively.

"What's going to happen to the goat?" asked Lex in mild horror. "It's gonna eat the goat?!"

"Excellent." said Tim dreamily.

"What's the matter, kid? You never had lamb chops?" asked Gennaro.

"I happen to be a vegetarian."

"I'm with you there, Lex. Dead meat is gross!" added Koki, shuddering in disgust over thinking about the animal's fate. "But hey," stated the pizza eating pilot, who was taking a bite out of his favorite food. "Like the Kratt bros say, the carnivores gotta eat too."

"I know, but it still grosses me ou—where'd you get that pizza?"

"What? I packed some with me before we left the Tortuga." With that, he took another bite.

" doesn't wanna be fed, he wants to hunt."scoffed Dr. Grant, shaking his head incredulously at the technique used to bait the tyrannosaur. "You can't just suppress sixty five million years of gut-instinct." But after several minutes, the goat ceased its bleating and laid down to rest. The King of Dinosaurs wasn't going to show itself.

The ever anxious Kratt Brothers threw themselves in their seats, sighing in defeat. Everyone else soon followed, disappointed once again. Malcolm spied a security camera in the corner of the car ceiling. Quite smugly, he made his way toward it. "Now, eventually you plan to have dinosaurs on your dinosaur tour, right? Hello? (Here he breathes on the camera lens..) Hello? Yes?" In the background, one could hear the Wild Kratts chuckling at the mathematician's antics.

 ** _****Meanwhile****_**

From his place in the control room, Hammond sat in front of the screen, head resting in his hands, deadpan stare evident on his features. Unlike the Kratts, he wasn't amused with Malcolm's taunts.

"I really hate that man.."


	9. Frillina The Triceratops

After their uneventful visit to the Tyrannosaurus Kingdom, the tour continued. "See, the tyrannosaur doesn't obey set pattern or park schedules. It's the essence of Chaos."said Dr. Malcolm after a period of silence. This intrigued the paleobotanist. "I'm still not clear on Chaos."

"It simply deals with unpredictability in complex systems. It's only principle is the Butterfly Effect. A butterfly can flap its wings in Peking and in Central Park you get rain instead of sunshine."

Ellie gestured with her hand that this information had flown right over her head. While the two scientists were discussing the Chaos Theory, Aviva took out a certain invention from her backpack and began typing on the keyboard. The Kratts' eyes flew open upon hearing the familiar sound and fell upon the gadget on the inventor's lap. The disappointment that was consuming their minds vanished, replaced once more by their excitement as inched closer to Aviva.

" _You brought the M.I.K?!_ " the creature adventurers asked enthusiastically, barely able to control the volume of their voices, which was unfortunately too loud that it made not only Aviva, but everyone wince in pain, ears ringing. "Sorry.."they apologized simultaneously.

"What's the M.I.K?" asked a puzzled Malcolm. At that moment, Koki's hologram appeared through Martin's Creaturepod. Clearly she had heard the brothers' excited outburst. "M.I.K; Mobile Invention Kit. Aviva uses it to create new Creature Power Disks for the bros' Creature Power Suits."

"Creature Power..what?" asked the bewildered paleontologist, for as far as technology was concerned, he was old school. Exchanging knowing glances, Martin and Chris dug into their own packs and removed a pair of black vests with a paw print on the center of each, bearing the brothers' signature colors. Alongside with two pairs of gloves of the same design. The Wild Kratts could rarely stay away from creature adventuring for very long. After donning their CPS, the creature adventurers then explained the vests' design and functions.

After all was said and done, Dr. Grant and Dr. Sattler were dumbfounded to say the least. "Ahh, that explains why Kelly idolizes you guys. You're like the super heroes from the comics, only you're not wearing tights, and you all work for quite a noble cause."said Malcolm in newfound understanding. "Mind if we see a demonstration?"asked the paleobotanist in fascination.

The two creature adventurers were about to oblige when the Kratt in green noticed a dark shape moving at the end of the field to the left. He suddenly bolted upright to get a better look. "Chris?"asked Aviva, noticing something else was on her boyfriend's mind. Martin too noticed his brother's distant look.

"You alright, bro?" Chris, however, paid little attention to either his brother or his girlfriend, but continued to gaze upon the figure for a while longer. There's definitely something out there, and the creature adventurer had to see it. So without warning, Chris threw the door open and bolted out of the moving car.

"There's a great example of Chaos Theory. No one could've predicted that Mr. Kratt would suddenly jump out of a moving vehicle." You have no idea, thought the Kratt in blue before he took off with his brother. "Chris! Wait up, bro!"

"There goes another one," said the mathematician triumphantly.

"¡Ay ay ay!"muttered the inventor, face-palming at their apparent insanity. Some things never change.. "Martin? Chris?" Soon enough she was running in the same direction the creature adventurers had taken to make sure no harm came to them. Jimmy and Koki soon followed.

"Three more examples," Ian pointed out, gesturing the Wild Kratts team, now racing across the field. However the paleontological pair's curiosity got the better of them, and it wasn't long before they too followed the team's lead.

"Two more. See? Here I am now, by myself, talking to myself...that's Chaos Theory! What the hell am I doing here? I'm the only one who knows what's going on.." With that, Dr. Malcolm followed the crowd into the meadow, later joined by Gennaro and the kids.

 ** _**** Three Minutes Later...****_**

The Wild Kratts team, the three scientists, the lawyer, and the children were headed towards a small stand of trees. Looking up, they noticed gray clouds starting to form.

"Uhh... Anybody else think we shouldn't be out here?"asked a nervous Gennaro, looking left and right at their surroundings. "I-I agree with Mr. Gennaro.."replied an equally skittish Jimmy Z. "We should head back to the cars." The rest of the group, the Kratt Brothers especially, weren't deterred. They simply pressed forward, keen on satisfying their curiosity. Tim dogged Dr. Grant's footsteps, so excited he can hardly keep his feet on the ground.

"So like I was saying, there's this other book by a guy named Bakker? And he said the dinosaurs died of a bunch of diseases? He definitely didn't say they turned into birds. And his book was a lot fatter than yours?"

Martin and Chris, who could hear the whole conversation from behind them, chuckled in amusement. Unlike Grant, the two brothers loved kids, especially those who were deeply fascinated by the natural world, and they had great pleasure in teaching them about certain creatures and their behaviors. Before long, they signaled the party to a halt, gesturing for silence. "Wait here," whispered Chris, determined not to disturb whatever was beyond the tall grass. "We'll call you once it's safe." With that, both creature adventurers disappeared into the undergrowth.

A moment of silence. "I'm not sure whether to call them brave or just plain insane." Malcolm remarked. "Both, but mostly insane." replied the rest of the Wild Kratts team. Aviva couldn't help but worry about her boyfriend's safety, and pondered whether or not to go after them. Suddenly the inventor's Creaturepod rang. Aviva immediately answered and a holographic screen appeared, revealing Martin and Chris unharmed, with huge grins on their faces as though they had encountered a rarely seen species.

"You guys gotta come see this!"they exclaimed simultaneously.

At that moment, the rest of the group proceeded forward, Grant and Tim in the lead, their initial fear gone. As they reached the clearing, the tourists stopped in their tracks. A huge smile spreads across the faces of both the paleontologist and the ten-year old. Everyone else's jaws dropped, eyes as wide as saucers. The two remaining scientists and lawyer were speechless.

"Whoa.." said Koki and Jimmy in awe.

"Dios mio," murmured Aviva.

Before the party's eyes was a massive creature, as large as an elephant lying on its side. It sported a massive head with two great horns on its eyebrows and a smaller one on its snout. It didn't move, just breathed, loud and raspy, blowing up little clouds with each exhalation. It didn't take long to identify the animal as a Triceratops.

"Hi everybody. Don't be scared. She's sedated."came a voice from behind the downed dinosaur. The group looked in the general direction and met an aging man in a light green uniform; He must've been the park's head vet. On either side of him, with smiles still glued to their features, were the Kratt Brothers.

"Guys, I'm sure you all remember Dr. Harding,"said Chris, gesturing to the veterinarian at his right, addressing the rest of his team. Martin only bore a smug grin at Dr. Harding's left, arms around the man's shoulder. The Wild Kratts team, who were marveling over the Triceratops, then raced over to the trio, exchanging joyful greetings with the vet, who was equally pleased to see them. It was then that Aviva noticed the incredulous looks from the others.

"This is Dr. Harding, he taught us all we know on veterinary science." After introductions were made, the team turned their attention to the three-horned herbivore. "She's sick," noted the Kratt in green after quick observation and medical scan from his Creaturepod. "Ay pobresita."cooed Aviva gently caressing the animal's enormous head. "She's beautiful," complimented the computer whizz from the inventor's side. Aviva nodded in agreement.

"That's one groovy helmet," said Jimmy Z, before being corrected by the paleontologist resting against the creature's side, feeling each breath channeling in and out,"Frill. The 'helmet' of any ceratopsian, like Triceratops, is called a frill."

Gasping in realization, Martin stated, patting the Trike's frill, "That's just what I'm gonna call you: Frillina!" earning a groan from the newly named dinosaur who seemed to enjoy her title.

"Frillina?" wondered Grant incredulously, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't ask.." replied Chris with a chuckle.

Dr. Sattler then noticed something peculiar about Frillina's tongue, which was dark purple, drooped limply from her mouth. The paleobotanist then scratched the tongue with her fingernail, causing a clear liquid to leak from the broken blisters. "Micro vesicles. That's interesting." Harding then joined her, handing her a penlight.

"What are her symptoms?"asked the paleobotanist.

"Imbalance, disorientation, heavy breathing. Seems to happen every six weeks or so."

"Six weeks?" Ellie then shined the light in Frillina's eyes. "Are there pupillary effects from the tranquilizer?"

"Yes, mitotic, pupils should be constricted."

"These are dilated. Take a look."

After a quick glance, the veterinarian muttered, "I'll be damned."

"That's pharmacological. From local plant life." With that, the paleobotanist turned and studied the surrounding landscape, noting the local flora. The other two scientists and creature adventurers marveled, for her mind was truly at work, puzzling each piece of foliage, leaving no twig unchecked. Finally she came across a small bush blooming with flowers and berries. Aviva, who had been assisting the paleobotanist, took a scan from her Creaturepod for identification. The results came in: Tetrazygia bicolor. "West Indian lilac."

"Yes, we know they're toxic, but the animals don't eat them." confirmed Dr. Harding, approaching the pair. "Are you sure?"asked Dr. Sattler, analyzing the leaves and branches.

"Pretty sure." the vet replied.

"There's only one way to be positive,"

"How?" asked the creature adventurers in unison.

"We need to see Frillina's droppings."Dr. Sattler answered before following the inventor and the vet to the edge of the clearing. The brothers exchanged glances before taking off in the same direction.

"Droppings? Dino droppings?" asked a bewildered Malcolm. The paleontologist only shrugged before following the crowd.

It didn't take long for the party to reach their goal: several piles of dung almost six feet high.

"That is one big pile of crap."deadpanned the mathematician, noting the piles' enormity. Unlike the vast majority of the group, the Kratt Brothers were ecstatic about the find. "Martin, check this out!"exclaimed the Kratt in green, noticing the placement of the piles. "It's just like the rhino sign posts back in Kenya."

"Sign posts?" asked Tim curiously.

"We've seen these before with Black rhinos." replied Chris with much enthusiasm. "They use these piles of dung to message other rhinos. Nuances in the dung can actually tell them a lot about others in the area, like age, sex, and health." Martin continued for his brother,"Combined with urine left along trails, dung piles create invisible "borders" around the rhino's territory, as a message that says (here he lowered the pitch of his voice..) : 'Keep out! Trespassers will be attacked and gored, and in other ways of having a bad day!'" This prompted Chris and Tim to giggle at the Kratt in blue's goofiness. Grant rolled his eyes, mildly amused. _They make it look so easy.._

"Good observation, Wild Kratts," said Dr. Harding from his place next to Aviva, Koki, and Dr. Sattler who were currently using their Creaturepods to scan each dung pile. "We have noticed that the Triceratops have well established territories around the meadow, and would charge at any foreign creature that wanders past the dung piles. But they know their keepers well and they allow us to approach." Soon the three women approached them with their results.

"Results came out negative. No West Indian lilac berries." reported the computer whizz. "That's so weird, though. She shows all the signs of Meliatoxicity."murmured the paleobotanist, unrelenting. "Every six weeks.." added the inventor, lost in thought. With that, the trio walked several paces further out the field, thinking.

"They're.. Uhh tenacious."said Malcolm, gesturing to Ellie and Aviva.

"You have no idea." replied Alan and Chris simultaneously, much to their own surprise.

After that investigation was completed, they made their way back to the fallen Triceratops.


	10. The Storm

The team then reunited with Frillina the Triceratops, who was starting to stir. The weather, however, looked even more foreboding as more monstrous clouds began to gather, blanketing the skies in darkness. A tropical storm was eminent.

However, the weather forecast was the last thing on everyone's mind as they gathered around the ill ceratopsian. At least until a worried Lex suddenly cried out, "Where's Timmy?"

The adults quickly looked around, but no sign of the ten-year old dinosaur fanatic. "We'll go and look for him."said Chris as he and Martin raced back down the direction they had come. "We won't be long!" yelled Martin before the pair disappeared into the tall grass once more. "To the Timmy Rescue!"they called out simultaneously, out of sight.

"Yup. They're insane."said Malcolm after a period of awkward silence.

"Ditto."replied Jimmy Z.

It didn't take long for the two creature adventurers to spy Tim walking towards them, with a bundle of stones in his hands. "Tim! There you are."they chorused in unison, earning a short laugh from the boy. "Where were you? We were worried sick, buddy."asked the Kratt in green, genuinely concerned. "Sorry."came the rather timid reply. "I was just looking around that poisonous bush again to see if I could find more clues. And I found these." The ten-year old presented the stones in his hand, each one polished as smoothly as glass. "They looked familiar, like the ones in Dr. Grant's fully illustrated book."

Upon seeing the polished rocks, the Kratts' eyes grew as wide as saucers, with beaming smiles to match. "Are these what I think they are?"wondered Chris out loud.

"No doubt. I think they're definitely what you think they are. I think."responded the Kratt in blue. Then in unison, the brothers addressed the stones' discoverer,"Tim, you're a genius!" The boy flushed red at their praise. "C'mon! Let's go show the others." said Chris, and soon enough the trio raced their way back to the clearing.

 ** _****A Few Minutes Later...****_**

"Guys! We're back!" The party looked to the edge of the clearing in the direction of the three voices, and erupting out of the undergrowth came Martin, Chris, and Tim, out of breath but all accounted for.

"Look what Tim found."announced the brothers as Tim bashfully made his way before the paleontological pair, presenting them the shiny stones. For a while the team was puzzled.

" _Rocks?_ You boys came back with _rocks?_ "deadpanned Koki skeptically. Aviva facepalmed. Jimmy stared blankly at the rocks.

"They're not just any rocks, they're gizzard stones, or gastroliths."replied Chris. "Some animals like ostriches and crocodiles don't have the teeth needed to chew their food, so they swallow gastroliths, which are used to help grind up food in their digestive tracts."

"Well said, Mr. Kratt."confirmed the paleontologist after analyzing one of the stones. "The same principles apply to some herbivorous dinosaurs like Triceratops. But after a while, the stones in the stomach get smooth, every six weeks, the animal regurgitates them and swallows fresh ones."

"And when she swallows the stones, she also swallows the poisonous lilac berries which make her sick."finished Dr. Sattler, gesturing to Frillina who was slowly coming to life. "Good work, Tim."

Without warning, thunder rumbled as the storm over head was about to unleash its fury. Both Gennaro and Jimmy Z flinched at the ominous sound. "Doctors, if you please— I have to insist we get moving."stated the lawyer quite nervously.

"Oh, you know, if it's alright," said the paleobotanist, "I'd like to stay with Dr. Harding and finish with Frillina."

"I'm staying too."piped up Aviva.

"Count me in." added Koki.

"Sure." The veterinarian agreed. "I've got a gas-powered jeep. I can drop them off at the Visitors Center before I make the boat with the others."

"We'll catch up." said the inventor addressing the Kratt in green. "You can go with the others." With that she planted a short but sweet kiss on the creature adventurer's cheek. "See you on the Creature Trail!" she added jokingly before returning next to Frillina along with the other two ladies. Chris watched her go, marveling at his girlfriend's compassion, before reluctantly turning to follow the rest of the crowd back to the Explorers.

Fortunately the vehicles remained in the same place where they were left. Looking up, the Kratt in blue noticed a security camera perched atop a palm tree. Chris looked in Martin's line of sight, eyes stopping as soon as he spied the camera. "Sorry.."they apologized simultaneously, addressing Hammond or whoever might be watching them. This caused the two doctors to raise their eyebrows and exchange incredulous looks before choosing their spots. In the lead car, Gennaro, Lex, Tim, and Jimmy took their places. Grant, Malcolm, and the Kratt Brothers filled in the second one. The moment everyone reembarked, the vehicles came back to life. The tour had resumed.

In that moment, the first raindrops fall on the windshields of the tour vehicles. They were big, fat drops and they kick up little clouds of dust as they smacked into the windshields. Overhead, the trees started to sway with the force of the strong winds. This was going to be one hell of a storm.

"You don't think we're gonna continue the tour with this weather, are we?"pondered the Kratt in blue, staring out the window, now dotted with raindrops. Dr. Grant shook his head doubtfully. "Mm-mm.." responded Malcolm.

"Not very likely, bro."confirmed his younger brother. "By my best guess, we're probably gonna find an alternative route that'll lead us back the way we came." On that note, Malcolm sighed,"Chaos at work."

"Don't look so glum, dude."said Chris, trying to cheer up his older brother. "We'll probably have a better opportunity to see the Dilophosaurus."

"Or the ," added Martin, a small smile returning to his face.

"That's the spirit!"

With that, the two brofisted and stared out the window in anticipation.

As the vehicles slowly continued driving down the road, Dr. Grant's eyes were out the window, lost in his thoughts. Finally he spoke, addressing the other men in the car,"Do any of you have kids?"

"Nope."replied the Kratts in unison, much to Alan's surprise. Neither were fathers, yet they're naturals with kids. He then turned his attention to the mathematician sitting on the passenger side.

"Me? Oh, hell yeah. Three. I love kids. Anything at all can and does happen. Same with wives for that matter."

"You're married?"asked the creature adventurers and the paleontologist simultaneously. Alan stared at the two incredulously. _This is starting to get irritating_ , thought Grant.

"Occasionally. Always on the lookout for a future ex-Mrs. Malcolm." This caused the trio to roll their eyes a little.

A moment of silence reigned before the mathematician in black addressed the Kratt in green, " So uhhh Mr. Kratt,"

"Please, just call me Chris."

" So Chris. How long have you and Mrs. Corcovado known each other?" All eyes were on the young creature adventurer. Martin simply gave his brother a nod of encouragement.

"Ever since we were in middle school."came the answer. "Although we've only been dating for three months. And that was after– the incident."

"Mr. Muldoon did mention something about an incident in Africa. What happened?" asked the paleontologist.

Chris was silent for half a minute, then he began,"We were stationed in Kenya that day. Martin and I were creature adventuring as usual.."

 ** _***Flashback*****_**

As Martin and Chris were exploring the African savannah, they heard a sound that only existed in their worst nightmares: the thunderous crack of a rifle. Poachers.

The Creaturepods rang. The brothers answered, and before them appeared Aviva on the holographic screen. "Bros, we've got trouble. Poachers, just north of the river, in the center of—"

"He-Who-Breathes-Fire's territory!" the brothers exclaimed in horror. It wasn't long before they heard roars of distress come from at least five miles away.

"We're on our way to pick you guys up—" but the inventor never finished as Chris activated his glider, and was now soaring over to the lion's pride. Below him, he could hear Martin yelling,"Chris! Come back!" But the Kratt in green didn't cease, but continued continued his flight north.

To his relief, he reached the pride's rocks quicker than he had hoped. From his perch, he could see that all the adult lions, Anai Pumua Moto (the male's Swahili name..) included, were accounted for. _Wait a minute.._ Chris thought. _Where are the cubs_? That would explain why the adults are so worried. That gunshot must've been used to scare them off. _I'm gonna need something much faster than a glider to catch them._ Looking to the sky, he found what he was looking for. A shrill whistle escaped his lips and a great bird of prey came down to perch on his shoulder. " _Activate Peregrine Falcon Power_!"

A flash of green was seen from atop of the rocks, and a green falcon took to the skies, determined to catch sight of his quarry. After several minutes of searching, Chris had eyes on his target: a poacher's jeep loaded with a wooden crate, presumably with the lion cubs inside. Even from his place in the sky, he could hear the cubs' distressed calls and the poachers' maniacal laughs of glee. Few things angered him more.

But judging from the speed of the vehicle, they were in a hurry to leave the preserve. It didn't take Chris long to see the hunters' pursuers; The Createrra VX was hot in pursuit, driven by Martin and Aviva, while from the air came the green silhouette of the Tortuga attempting to cut off the ruffians' escape. Chris chose that moment to strike.

Closing his wings, the creature adventurer let gravity take over, falling like a green torpedo towards the jeep. Just as he was close to landing, he spread out his wings, outstretched talons grabbing the crate with its precious cargo, and tossed it in the Createrra, into Aviva's waiting arms.

But in that moment, the poachers' expressions changed from fear to anger at losing their prize. One of them sneered as he pointed his rifle in Chris' direction. Aviva noticed, but just as she was screaming a warning to the Kratt in green to fly out of range, a shot was heard. Tears blurred her vision as she saw Chris fall to the ground.

The last thing Chris saw was a blue lion lunging for the poachers' jeep, tipping them over, roaring in grief and rage. Then unconsciousness claimed him..

 ** _***End Of Flashback***_**

"When I woke up, I had learned that the lion cubs were safe and that the poachers were doing time. Hard time. If the crew had let Martin have his way with them, they probably would have sworn off hunting forever. Fortunately the bullet only hit my shoulder. But what I didn't realize at the time was that while my injuries were minor, I had dealt the crew a stinging blow. None more so than Aviva." Chris then wiped a tear from his eye, thinking about the events of that night. Dr. Grant and Malcolm then looked to Martin, who only nodded sadly in confirmation. With the exception of the storm outside, a moment of peaceful silence reigned.

"So uhh...you two made up after that day?"asked the mathematician quite warily. "Yes, and we've been very close ever since."replied the Kratt in green, a small smile on his features, thinking about the night he and Aviva became a couple, and all the good times that followed.

"Thanks to her, I realized I had another reason to be on this Earth."

Unknown to the tourists, the video screen in the middle of their console went black. Malcolm continued their conversation.

"By the way, Dr. Sattler... She's not like uhh available, is she?" The paleontologist started to get defensive.

"Why?"

"Why? Oh. I'm sorry, are you two.."

"Yeah."

"I wish you the best of luck."

This exchange caused the Kratt Brothers to burst into a fit of laughter, earning incredulous looks from the scientific pair. What's so funny?

The cars abruptly came to a halt. The lights in the vehicles and along the road go out, plunging them into blackness. Grant jerked his hands away from the steering wheel, immediately assuming the blame was his.

"Okay, what'd I touch?"

"You didn't touch anything. We stopped."replied the mathematician.

" I must've touched something. This happens all the time. It must be my fault. Machines hate me"

"Machines hate you?"

"Yeah. They hate me."

"You wanna talk about this?"piped up Martin.

"No."


	11. Tyrannosaurus Wrecks

Before long, the small drops of rain became mighty torrents, and the strong winds howled through the night, causing the great trees to sway and dance to their movement. Few parts of the island in were untouched by the tropical storm, especially near the Paddock where two Ford Explorers were situated, waiting for Nature's fury to pass, waiting for the power to return. The bait goat that was brought from underground earlier in the afternoon, remained tethered to the stake, its bleating barely audible over the downpour. The two vehicles sit still in the middle of the road. A man's silhouette races back from the front car to the rear one.

Dr. Grant, wet from head to toe, returned to the relative dry of the vehicle he shared with Dr. Malcolm and the Kratt Brothers.

"Their radio's out too. Gennaro said to stay put. Are your Creaturepods working yet?"

Both creature adventurers checked their Creaturepods, but received the same result, "Nothing."said the Kratt in green. "Rain's messing up our signal. Maybe when it dies down will be the right time."

"The kids okay?"asked the Kratt in blue.

"Well, I didn't ask. Why wouldn't they be?"retorted the paleontologist.

"Kids get scared."

"What's to be scared about? It's just a little hiccup in power."

"Hey! I didn't say I was scared."

"I didn't say you were scared."

Meanwhile in the lead Explorer, Gennaro, Lex, and Tim wait, bored. The rain drummed on the roof monotonously. Jimmy Z had already fallen asleep minutes earlier, and the lawyer was about to follow his lead when Tim suddenly burst from behind the passenger seat, wearing a pair of robust green goggles, startling his sister. "Hey! Where did you find those?"asked the lawyer quite sternly.

"In a box under my seat."

"Are they heavy?"

"Yeah."

"Then they're expensive. Put 'em back." With that, he leaned back and closed his eyes. The ten-year old ignored him and put the goggles back on. He stared out the back window, gazing through the goggles in which the images were bright, fluorescent green.

"Oh, cool! Night vision!"

Tim continued to stare out the window with his goggles. He swung his legs—but suddenly stopped. He felt something. Pulling off the goggles, he turned back, moving into the back seat with Lex who was tapping her hat, and reached forward to still her hand.

Boom Boom

"Can you feel that?"

She didn't answer.

Tim then leaned over to the front passenger seats and looked at the two plastic cups that sat in the dashboard. As he watched, the water in the glass vibrated, creating concentric circles. Then it stopped.

And then it vibrated again. Rhythmically. Like footsteps.

Boom Boom Boom

These vibrations woke Gennaro from his slumber. "M-Maybe it's the power trying to come back on."stammered the lawyer, though he wasn't convinced. Tim jumped into the back seat, donning the night vision goggles again.

"What is that?" asked the twelve-year old.

Her brother turned and looked towards the side, where the goat was tethered. But something was wrong: the goat was nowhere to be found.

"Where's the goat?"

Her answer came with a bang from the sunroof, startling the passengers, and looking up, they saw a bloody, disembodied goat leg.

Tim whipped around to look out the side window again. His mouth popped open, but no sound escaped. Through the goggles, he spied a huge claw gripping the cables of the electrified fence. He looked up, then craned his head back further to look out the sunroof. Past the goat's leg, the boy saw an enormous, boxlike head well over five feet long, standing perhaps twenty feet off the ground. The remains of the goat hung out of the creature's jaws. Tilting its head back, the predator swallowed the animal in a single gulp. Tyrannosaurus rex.

Gennaro paled with sheer terror. He couldn't even speak. The lawyer's hand clawed for the door handle, and after throwing the door wide open, he took off into the pouring rain, leaving the children exposed.

"He left us. He left us!"cried a horrified Lex.

Gennaro ran as fast as he could, racing past the second car, into a cement outhouse twenty or thirty yards away.

"Where does he think he's going?"wondered Dr. Grant, noticing the lawyer's frantic flight.

Malcolm shrugged,"When you gotta go, you gotta go." Martin then looked out the side window and noticed the fence beginning to buckle, its posts collapsing, wires snapping free. "Oh no.. Umm guys?" The others then looked in the direction Martin's eyes were gazing and noticed the chewed its way through the disabled barrier.

The four men watched in horror as the monstrous carnivore stepped over the ruined fence and into the middle of the park road. It stood there for a moment, massive head swinging from one vehicle to another before bellowing a loud, unearthly roar. "Boy, do I hate being right all the time."muttered Malcolm. Another roar followed, like a cry from some other world, before the strode quickly towards them, circling the vehicle slowly, bending over to look in at them through the window. The scientists and creature adventurers sat trembling, watching as the giant legs strode past the windows.

"Everyone, keep absolutely still. It's vision's based on movement."cautioned the paleontologist.

"You sure about that?"asked Chris skeptically.

"Relatively."

The four men remained frozen as the bent down, peering right through the window. The dinosaur's large, yellow eye was only slightly smaller than the entire pane of glass. The tyrannosaur pulled back slightly, then reached down and bumped the car with its snout, causing it to rock slightly. Suddenly the huge theropod raised its head, turning its attention to the first vehicle, drawn by a bright light moving frantically against the window. Making a decision, the strode to the first car. Fast.

"Turn the light off. Turn the light off!"whispered Grant.

"Turn the light off!"yelled Tim, noticing that the flashlight used by Lex to warn the others only put their own lives at risk. Silently, the boy moved slowly to the passenger side to shut the door left open by the cowardly lawyer. He pulled the door closed, only to have the dinosaur's head dart in the general direction of the noise. Paralyzed by fear, the siblings could only stare as the T-rex peered through the window until its golden eyes came to Lex's side where she flashed the flashlight in the predator's eye, causing the pupils to retract. Before they could react, the lifted its enormous head above the sunroof, and looking down at the children, the massive theropod blared an earth-shaking roar, causing them to clench their ears to block out the deafening sound.

"Turn it off!"screamed Tim, noticing the flashlight was still on.

"Sorry."apologized his sister, struggling to find the off switch. Jimmy then chose that moment to stir from his slumber, rudely awakened by the ruckus. "Hey guys, why are we yelling?"he yawned.

Before either of them could answer, the T-rexs' jaws came crashing down from the sunroof, knocking the plastic frame right out of the roof of the car, down into the vehicle. The bubble fell down on the trio, trapping them, and the animal lunged down, snapping at its intended targets. "Tell me this is just a nightmare!"screamed the Tortuga pilot, now fully awake as the rexs' nightmarish jaws were kept at bay by all that remained of the sunroof. But the monstrous predator continued to push down, causing the glass to groan, crack lines racing across it.

In the rear car, Grant, Malcolm, and the Kratt Brothers watched in horror as the Tyrannosaurus clawed at the side of the lead vehicle with one of its powerful hind legs. It pushed, starting to tip the car over.

"Oh my God!"exclaimed Malcolm.

"We gotta do something!"cried the two creature adventurers.

"What? What can we do?"questioned the mathematician doubtfully.

"There's gotta be something."murmured the paleontologist as he rummaged through the back, looking for something useful. At the same time, Martin and Chris looked through their backpacks for essentials.

Meanwhile, the windows shatter in the lead car as the T-rex continued its assault, nudging the vehicle with its head, rolling it up on its side. The three passengers tumbled around with it. But the predator wasn't through with them yet; it towered over the damaged car, placing one foot on the chassis, tearing at the undercarriage with its powerful jaws. Tim, Lex, and Jimmy Z were trapped inside the rapidly flattening car, and as the frame continued to buckle underneath the brute's massive weight, mud and rain water pour into whatever space was remaining. Then it stopped. The backed back, dragging the Explorer, swinging it left and right. The animal seemed ready to fling the wreckage over the edge of its domain. Over the barrier there was a gentle terraced area at one side where the carnivore emerged from, but the car wasn't next to that; it was bordering a sharp precipice, representing a sixty foot drop.

Suddenly, the Tyrannosaurus came to a halt,interrupted by loud shouts and a thunderous roar. The beast looked in the direction of the intrusive noises and saw the paleontologist armed with a brightly lit flare and a green lion baring his teeth, ready to strike. Seeing the pair as a mere nuisance, the massive theropod bellowed a fierce roar in an attempt to scare them off. But Dr. Grant and Chris refused to yield. As the paleontologist slowly waved the flare before him, the T-rex locked its eyes on the flare, following its movement.

The Kratt in blue chose that moment to sneak behind the behemoth, slowly making his way towards the damaged car. Upon seeing Martin at the wreckage, Grant looked over the wall and tossed the flare over to the edge of the barrier. The huge predator lunged for the light, unaware of the Kratt in blue's presence. "Is everyone alright?"asked the older Kratt. But as Martin stooped down to help the trio trapped inside, a massive tail struck him square in the chest, catching him off guard. The force of the blow sent the creature adventurer flying several yards.

"Martin!"cried the Kratt in lion form, seeing his brother stunned by the retreating theropod. But before he could aid his fallen sibling, he heard Malcolm's frantic yells and the unearthly roar of the Tyrannosaurus now advancing towards the mathematician. The man had only a blazing flare between him and the enraged carnivore.

Without thinking, Chris raced on all fours, pouncing to get himself between Malcolm and seven tons of prehistoric terror. "Ian, get behind me!"ordered the green lion, getting into a defensive stance, claws unsheathed, anticipating the T-rex's next move. "Back off, Ms. Rex!"he growled, before bellowing a huge roar to make his point. Unfazed by its smaller adversary's show of bravery or foolhardiness, the larger predator blared an even louder roar in Chris' face, splattering him with saliva.

"You make a very compelling argument."squeaked the Kratt in lion form, heart racing, eyes as large as saucers. The pair braced themselves as the T-rex's massive head towers twenty feet above them, ready to swallow the two in a single gulp. Chris shut his eyes, anticipating the killer blow. But the teeth never came.

The Kratt in green forced an eye open to see that the dinosaur's fangs missed by mere inches. _We should've been dead by now_ , thought the surprised creature adventurer. This surprised the Tyrannosaurus as well, so the bewildered animal turned its head to see another tyrannosaur gripping at its tail. "Wait a minute, isn't that—" Malcolm never finished as the green lion finished for him, "Martin!" And, indeed, it was the Kratt in blue, but with T-rex Power.

As the tyrannosaur unwittingly struck Martin with its tail, it subsequently hit the button on his Creature Power Suit, causing the suit to malfunction. As a result, the Kratt in blue now had tyrannosaur powers, taking on the giant theropod's form. Now he was using his newfound power to save his brother.

"Chris!"roared the Kratt in T-rex form while still grabbing the carnivore's tail in his artificial jaws, " You and the others get the kids and JZ outta there! I'll keep Wrecksy busy."

"Wrecksy? Seriously, bro?"

The blue tyrannosaur couldn't help but chuckle at his younger brother's incredulous expression. However, the moment Wrecksy felt the pressure on her tail loosen, she turned on her new adversary with open jaws, grabbing Martin by the neck. The blue tyrannosaur struggled with all his might, eventually breaking free of Wrecksy's grip. Recovering quickly, Martin Rex countered with a tail whip to the other theropod's face. The two tyrannosaurs eyed

each other, baby blue meeting bright gold, baring their teeth before they charged at one another with lowered heads. The result was a fourteen ton collision course, that sent Martin Rex off his feet.

As the two giants clashed, the rest of the rescue team reached the severely damaged vehicle. Utilizing the enhanced strength of his lion form, Chris budged a dent large enough for Jimmy and Lex to crawl out. Apart from bruises and cuts, they were unharmed. Timmy, on the other hand, couldn't move; his feet were pinned down by a fallen seat when the car buckled. The green lion was about to loosen the seat when he was interrupted by JZ's scream and a heavy thud. He looked to see Martin Rex slumped to the ground, pinned by his opponent's sheer bulk. To his horror, Wrecksy had Martin's neck in her jaws and threw the blue Rex across the floor, right into the concrete outhouse. Grant, Jimmy and Lex barely managed to dodge the fallen tyrannosaur's tail. Malcolm wasn't so lucky; the tail smacked the mathematician square in the chest, knocking the wind out of him, sending him flying with Martin.

" _Martin! No!_ "

The Tyrannosaurus then strode over to the demolished building, to confirm her victory. The impact of the crash had knocked Martin out cold. Her instincts told her that the intruder was no longer a threat. Then, her sense of smell told the predator of a potential meal. Following her nose, Wrecksy then found Gennaro sitting motionless on a toilet, paralyzed by fear. The last thing the lawyer saw was the open jaws of the as the mammoth carnivore clamped down, violently shaking him like a rag doll before swallowing him whole.

The three men had just managed to move the fallen seat, freeing Tim's legs when Chris heard the distinct sound of Wrecksy returning from the demolished outhouse. He had just enough time to block a terrified scream that threatened to escape Jimmy's mouth. "Shhh. Don't move, Jimmy. She can't see us if we don't move."whispered the green lion, paws holding the Tortuga pilot tightly, for he was shaking like a leaf in autumn. Lex was too petrified to move a muscle as the T-rex slowly approached them once more, gigantic head slowly dropping just inches away from the immobilized group, ragged bits of flesh and clothing hanging from her teeth. Not finding anything, Wrecksy swung her head away, snorting loudly from her nose, causing Grant's hat to fly off his head.

The Tyrannosaurus then walked towards the back of the wreckage. Chris released a breath he didn't know he was holding when the damaged vehicle spun wildly as it was pushed from behind by the massive theropod. The paleontologist, preteen, pilot and the green lion were pushed in front, helpless as they scrambled to keep ahead of the car, now moving closer to the edge of the barrier.

Wrecksy loomed over the four who were now trapped between the advancing car and a sixty-foot drop. Having sighted her targets, the tried to lunge, but was blocked by the car. Chris narrowly avoided her snap, and chose that moment to deactivate. Thinking quickly, the creature adventurer spied some dangling fence cables on the other side of the barrier. "Where is it? Where is it?"he muttered, looking through his pack, trying to find the disk compatible with the vile of fur in his hand. Here it is, he thought, having found the right one, before putting in the activation button of his CPS. "Activate Creature Power!"

The other three, Wrecksy, and a trapped Timmy, were momentarily blinded by a bright green light. Once it cleared, in the spot where Chris was, now stood a green orangutan. "Everyone, grab on!" The paused for a brief moment before continuing her attack.

Almost before they recovered from their initial shock, Grant was grabbed by a hairy arm, while Lex and Jimmy Z clung for dear life on the simian's back. The moment he sensed everyone was accounted for, the creature adventurer gone ape grabbed a wire with his free hand and began the descent.

"It's a good thing orangutans have the strength of five grown men, otherwise this would be really difficult."said Chris as he slowly made his way down the wall, careful not to drop any of his passengers. "It's great that we're safe and all, but what about Tim?"fretted JZ. Dr. Grant took a quick glance upwards, then wished he hadn't. "You may need to pick up the pace, Mr. Kratt. Look!"

As the green orangutan looked in the direction the paleontologist was pointing, his eyes widened. Oh no.. Chris thought as looming above them came the battered Explorer, _making its way towards them!_

"Guys! You're choking me!"gurgled the green simian as two pairs of arms unwittingly started to squeeze the air out of him in their panic.

Above them, the car groaned, nearly over the edge now. Chris looked to his right side, and spied other cables, out of range of the vehicle's impending drop. His feet scrambling along the concrete wall, the Kratt gone ape tried to swing over towards the nearest strand.

"Lex! Jimmy! Grab a wire!"

They fell short the first time. The ape's momentum, plus the weight of his load, carried him back the other way. Fortunately the twelve-year old managed to get a hold of the free cable the second time around. Right in the nick of time.

The moment Lex grabbed the new cable for Chris, the Explorer plummeted from the ledge, missing the four by mere feet, crashing into the leafy clouds of the forest canopy below, with the younger Murphy sibling still trapped inside.

"Timmy!" screamed Lex, seeing the vehicle's crash landing among the trees.

Above them, Tyrannosaurus Wrecksy could be heard roaring out her frustration at losing her intended victims. A long pause reigned before they could hear the sound of her footsteps retreating, as the greatest predator the Earth has seen in sixty five million years strode off to survey her newly conquered territory.


	12. Technical Difficulties

Since the teams parted ways on that cloudy afternoon, Aviva, Koki, and Dr. Ellie Sattler spent their time assisting Dr. Harding, Jurassic Park's head vet, in caring for Frillina the Triceratops, who was regaining her strength by the minute. The three-horned vegetarian, despite her fearsome exterior, was a gentle creature, and very affectionate toward her helpers. The only problem was that the eight ton ceratopsian didn't know her own strength, as was the case when she unwittingly knocked down Aviva when trying to nuzzle the inventor with her snout.

But when the first drops of rain came, it was time to go. This was particularly hard for the trio who had grown attached to the benign herbivore. "Goodbye, Frillina."said Ellie, caressing the ceratopsian's frill, her voice thick with emotion. "Get well soon and stay away from those West Indian lilac berries."

"We'll miss you a lot, big girl."added Koki, her hand on the herbivore's nasal horn.

"Get better soon, sweetie. We'll never forget you."said Aviva, embracing Frillina's massive head, tears running down her eyes. Then a thought occurred in the inventor's ever functioning head, which brought a radiant smile on her face. "Dr. Harding, can you take us a couple pictures with Frillina, please?" The veterinarian rolled his eyes in amusement before he obliged.

Several snapshots later, the three women loaded on Harding's jeep before the trip back to the Visitors Center. As they drove off, Aviva took one last glance at the Triceratops Meadow, and saw Frillina peacefully grazing before the three-horned vegetarian gazed in their direction. The Triceratops then uttered a loud bellowing call, prompting Harding to say," That's her way of saying goodbye."

They made it to the Visitors Center at the same moment the torrential downpour came crashing down. After exchanging farewells to the veterinarian, the trio made their way up the stairs towards the entrance. To their surprise, the lobby that was full of hustle and bustle earlier in the afternoon was now empty as an abandoned hermit crab's shell.

"Chris, Martin, Jimmy! We're back!"called out the inventor, but only her own echoes answered her. "Alan?"she heard Ellie call out. Same response. No one greeted them. Strange, thought Aviva. They should probably be back by now.

"There's no one around here," announced Koki, having returned from a fruitless search around the halls. "It's like a ghost town in here."commented the paleobotanist.

"I'll try contacting them with my Creaturepod."Aviva replied, reaching for said gadget. "Nothing. The storm's messing with the signal."she said after several unsuccessful tries. _¡Ay caramba! S_ he cursed mentally.

"Don't worry, Aviva. I'm sure they're on their way right now."reassured Ellie, sensing her new friend's worry. The three had grown closer than they thought possible. The inventor smiled at the paleobotanist's understanding. "Thanks Ellie." At that moment John Hammond appeared, descending the staircase to greet the visitors. But something about the look on the old man's face told them that something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Good evening, ladies. I'm afraid I have some grave news. Follow me, I'll explain on our way to the control room."

 ** _****Three Minutes Later****_**

Once they arrived at the control room, Aviva could hardly control herself, after mulling over all they'd been told. From what Hammond had informed them, some good for nothing hacker named Dennis Nedry had done something to disrupt the park's security. The only thing on her mind was the fact that the other visitors, along with her friends and her dearly beloved, were stranded in the park, in the middle of a tropical storm, at the mercy of fearsome predators that would make mincemeat of the largest and fiercest creatures they've met on their travels.

She wasn't the only one. Ellie and Koki were also eaten up by anxiety, pacing around as head technician John Arnold, a negro wearing a white suit and tie, worked around on the hacker's work station, which looked worse than Jimmy's quarters on New Years. The Wild Kratts inventor was startled out of her thoughts when Muldoon appeared in room.

"Well?"inquired Hammond, seeing the game warden. Muldoon had been sent to look for Nedry, and force him back to undo the mess he started.

"There's no sign of him anywhere."came the reply.

Arnold's cigarette was practically burning his lips, reduced to nothing but a stump as the technician was hard at work before the computer, hands typing furiously, determined to make sense of the mass of incomprehensible commands piling on as he examined each one in futility.

"Are we getting anywhere with these procedures of yours?"asked Koki doubtfully. "I mean, what's hanging us up?"

"I ran a key check on every stroke Nedry entered today. It's all pretty standard stuff, until this one–"

"Which one?" asked the Tortuga computer whizz, approaching the monitor, joined by everyone else.

"' **Keycheck/space -0 Keycheck off safety -0.** ' He's turning the safety systems off. He doesn't want anybody to see what he's about to do. Now look at this entry, that's the kicker. ' **Wht. rbt. obj.** ' Whatever it did, it did it all. But with Keycheck off, the computer didn't file the keystrokes. Only way find them is to search the computer's lines of code one by one."

"How many lines of code are there?"asked Koki.

"About two million." Arnold replied.

"¡Dos millón! Maravilloso."muttered the inventor sarcastically.

"That would help." deadpanned Koki, rolling her eyes, until she noticed something among the scattered papers. Reaching out, she grabbed a familiar business card, one with a red V for its logo. Her eyes narrowed. Zach Varmitech.

"What's wrong, Koki?" asked Aviva, noticing her friend's dark look. The technician simply handed her the business card. Soon enough, the inventor's gray eyes hardened. ¡Ese chiflado!

"Koki, Aviva? Is everything okay?"asked the paleobotanist, noticing the changes on her friends' faces. All eyes were on the pair.

"The hacker that caused all of this, Mr. Hammond," Aviva began," He was working for our old friend Zach Varmitech."

"Who's Zach Varmitech?"asked the paleobotanist.

"We'll talk about it later," Koki replied.

"Oh yes, I remember Mr. Varmitech. He had a dark air about him. Didn't like him."replied the entrepreneur, recalling the time when the evil inventor asked for a business partnership. Of course, Hammond refused. "What could he possibly be up to this time?"

"Whatever it is, it can't be good."answered Koki.

Once more, the old man turned to Muldoon. "Robert, I was wondering if you would be good enough to take a gas jeep and bring back my grandchildren."

"Sure." replied the game warden.

"I'm going with him."piped up Aviva, determined to find her friends.

"Me too."added Ellie, same thoughts on her mind. Muldoon simply nodded.

"I'll stay here and see what I can do."said the Tortuga technician.

As the trio made their way for the door, Hammond stared out the windows in front of the control room, lost in a million thoughts, so much so that he didn't hear Mr. Arnold calling to him. Only a hand on his shoulder brought him out of his trance, and he turned to see Koki, who gestured to the park's technician.

"I can't get Jurassic Park back on line without Dennis Nedry."


	13. Treetop Rescue

The tropical storm that battered Isla Nublar in fierce, torrential downpours ended as suddenly as it began. With the passing of the rains came the nightly calls of the nocturnal creatures, some of which, that were reminiscent of a chorus from a bygone era. Deep in the dense jungle, at the edge of a sixty foot concrete wall, were three figures, three men and a twelve year old girl. While the girl and two of the men, a paleontologist and an aviation pilot, gathered by the edge of the wall next to a flowing drain, tending their minor injuries in the torrents of rain water cascading forth from the culvert, the man in green sat apart from them on a solitary rock, head resting on his hands, a defeated look on his face.

After the T-rex attack, Chris had been unusually quiet and subdued. The events of that encounter played constantly in his head, especially when he lost his older brother Martin during the fight against the primordial predator. _I should've helped him,_ he thought, consumed by guilt. _Now I have absolutely no idea whether or not he's even alive! Some brother I turned out to be._ Entrenched in his despairing thoughts, he failed to notice one of the men walking up to him, until–

"Chris!"

Startled out of his trance, the Kratt in green looked up to see Dr. Alan Grant gazing down upon him. "I'm going to need your help with getting Tim down out of that tree. Jimmy's gonna stay here with Lex until we return," The creature adventurer simply nodded before he walked off into the forest, but he didn't go far before he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Chris. I'm sorry about your brother."said the paleontologist sympathetically. "He was a brave man. Don't forget that he risked his life to save ours, to save yours." This earned a small smile from the younger man, feeling no shame in the tears running from his eyes. It was a long pause before the Kratt in green said hoarsely," Thank you, Dr. Grant,"

"Just call me Alan." Chris simply nodded before he spoke once more, determination clear in his eyes, "Now let's go save Tim."

After a short trek through the jungle, the pair had reached their destination: a massive rainforest tree, with a badly damaged Ford Explorer some fifty feet above ground. Alan looked up in dismay,inwardly cursing to himself. Chris, on the other hand, beamed at the possibility of the arboreal challenge ahead. After taking deep breaths, they were ready.

 ** _****Several Minutes Later...****_**

Fortunately for the paleontologist, the forest giant's limbs were thick and regularly spaced enough for him to climb with little difficulty. Unfortunately though, he didn't possess the stamina or acrobatic skills of Chris, who was an exceptional tree climber, even without turning into a great ape. The arboreal creature adventurer was ahead of Grant by a long shot, so it was scarcely surprising that he made it to the set goal without so much as breaking a sweat. The bone digger, by contrast, was gasping for breath by the time he met up with the Kratt in green, who was patiently waiting for him at the car's level next to the driver's side.

The vehicle was in rough shape, much thinner than it used to be that afternoon. It's nose was completely smashed in, the front wheels driven solidly into a thick branch. They were the only thing holding the wreckage in place.

"Tim? Tim?"called Grant.

"You alright, buddy?"asked the creature adventurer, concern clear in his voice.

The two men looked inside and saw Tim huddled on the floor of the passenger side, hugging his knees to his chest in fright. He looks up at Chris, who was closest, with a blood and tear streaked face.

"I threw up."said the ten-year old, voice barely audible.

The two men winced slightly before Chris replied, "That's okay. That happened to me and Martin this one time at the amusement park, when–" he stopped upon hearing the paleontologist clear his throat. He looked over his shoulder to be met by Alan's deadpan stare that said, ' _Not the time_ '. Regaining his composure, the Kratt in green finished, "Give me your hand." Tim doesn't move. "We won't tell anyone you threw up. Just give me your hand." He reached out, Tim did likewise, but they were still a foot apart. Chris grabbed hold of the steering wheel to pull himself further inside, causing it to turn slightly. Unknown to the trio, the front wheel turned, losing a bit of their grip on the stout branch they were resting on.

Chris finally managed to grab the boy's hands. The creature adventurer held onto him, arms securely around Tim's waist as they climb out of the car. Soon he was lowered into Grant's waiting arms. The moment Tim realized where they were, his face went pale and his eyes widened with fear.

"Okay, that's not so bad, eh Tim?"said Chris nonchalantly, oblivious to the boy's panicked look.

"Yes it is.."

"It's just like coming out of a treehouse."said Alan, trying to lighten up the mood. "Did your dad ever build you a treehouse?"

"No."came the shaky reply.

"Me too."replied the bone digger.

Chris soon joined them on a neighboring branch. "You know, the main thing about climbing is you never, never look down."advised the tree-climbing specialist. This however, prompted the ten-year old to do just the opposite.

"This is impossible. How am I going.. I can't make it. This is... It's about fifty feet."

"We're gonna help you with your footing—" but the paleontologist was cut short by a groan heard over their heads. They looked up to see the car sagging in their direction, dramatically shifting towards them!

 _Not again.._ Thought Grant, before urging Tim down the tree. "Go, Tim, go! Go!"

The two raced down, as fast as they could, as the big branch supporting the car creaked, ready to give way any second.

"Faster! Faster!"

The tree limb snapped, disintegrating as the vehicle came crashing towards them. Grant and Tim let go of the branch they were on and fell, thudding into another branch a few feet down. The paleontologist then realized something wasn't right. _Where's Chris?_ But he banished those thoughts as the car smacked into the branch they had just vacated, and briefly stopped there.

The pair were now half climbing, half falling down the forest giant, slipping on the resin-covered branches, just trying like hell to get out of the way. The second branch broke, and now the vehicle was battering through a network of smaller branches, reducing them to matchwood, headed straight for them. It hit open space and began to free fall.

Alan turned, putting his arms out in defense, anticipating the car's crash landing. _But the crash never came. Only a faint rustling could be heard._

The paleontologist looked up, eyeball to eyeball with the car's grill, but then he noticed the car was simply dangling there without apparent restraints. That was until he noticed a green figure in the branches above, and recognized Chris, once again in orangutan form, holding on to the rear of the car with all his strength.

"Just go! I'll hold the car for as long as I can!" The ten-year and the paleontologist didn't need to be told twice, but continued their flight down the tree.

 _Can't. Hold on... Much.. Longer..._ the green simian thought as he felt the tree limb he was grasping beginning to crumble with the added weight of the damaged vehicle. He looked down to see that Alan and Tim were back on solid ground. At that moment, the branch relinquished its strength and snapped, sending Chris falling with the car.

"Heads up!"warned the Kratt gone ape, holding on for dear life as the falling car hurtled its way down the tree, straight towards the pair below! Fortunately the wreckage landed on the forest giant's buttress, standing vertically for a brief second. But the oversized tin can was still heading for the paleontologist and ten-year old, now tipping over with the green ape's added weight, falling straight at them! Options limited, Grant balled up in front of Tim, shielding him and–

 _CRASH_! The Explorer fell on top of them, sending Chris landing on his back. Alan, amazingly unhurt, looked up in confusion. They're in the jeep again, saved by the hole where the sunroof once was. Chris could be heard from outside.

"Alan? Tim? Are you guys okay?"

"Well, we're back...in the car again."said the Dino-fanatic.

"At least you're out of the tree."replied the bone digger.

 _ ******One Hour Later...******_

" I know we decided on not waiting by the culvert, but isn't it more dangerous to hike on foot? Couldn't we just climb back up the wall and continued from there?"asked a skittish Jimmy Z, eyes looking from left to right. The group of five people were currently trekking through a jungle trail, Grant taking the lead, Jimmy and the kids in the center, and Chris guarding the rear. The only other sounds that could be heard were the nightly calls of various insects and other nocturnal creatures. Overhead, the full moon shone, lending her light to the weary travelers.

The paleontologist rolled his eyes in amusement as he answered the Tortuga pilot's question. "We can't go back the way we came. What we have is a free-range T-rex on the road. There's fences on either side. If we meet him between there and the lodge, we'd have problems. But what this means, what this means, is that this whole paddock is empty. It's safe."

"It's safe?"wondered Lex doubtfully.

"It's safe."assured Alan.

"Might be kind of slow, but it can't be more than three or four miles. I'd hoped the Rex finished feeding by now, but let's not kid ourselves. Did you know a carnivore can eat up to 25% of its body weight in one sitting, so he's probably just ready to move on to the main course right now—"

He stopped in the middle of the sentence, noticing he's alone with the exception of the Kratt in green. They turn around, seeing that the kids and the pilot have scampered into the foliage behind them, terrified. "What's the matter?"asked Grant, confused. "Was it something I sai–"

"Shhh..."warned the creature adventurer silently before he whispered,"We're not alone out here."

The paleontologist gazed in the direction Chris was pointing, and straight ahead were three dark silhouettes lurking in the undergrowth, eyes glowing green in the surrounding darkness. _It seemed they definitely weren't alone.._


	14. The Search

Muldoon, Ellie, and Aviva raced down the park road in an open topped jeep, similar to the ones that were used earlier that morning. None of them spoke, only staring grimy ahead, wondering what they're about to find. As far as they knew, the tour jeeps stopped by the T-rex Paddock, so it was anyone's guess what happened. As they finally arrived at their destination, the jeep skidded to a stop and the three passengers disembarked to survey the area.

" _Ay, Dios mio,_ " thought a very anxious Aviva, glancing around at the devastation. The road was a rutted, muddy mess, the cement blockhouse had been reduced to rubble. One of the Explorers had gone missing, the other stood untouched, both doors hanging open.

"Oh my God, where's the other car?"fretted Ellie, running to the remaining Explorer, followed by the inventor and the game warden.

"Alan!"called Ellie.

"Chris! Martin! Jimmy!"cried Aviva, shouting at all points of the compass.

"Dr. Grant? Wild Kratts?"called out Muldoon.

The only voice that greeted them was the trumpeting bellow of the Tyrannosaurus rex in the far distance.

"I think it's ahead of us."murmured the paleobotanist.

"It could be anywhere."replied Muldoon. "With the fence out, it can wander in and out of any paddock it likes."

Aviva squinted for a brief moment, having sworn she saw movement among the rundown building. It moved again, followed by a low, rumbling moan that startled the other two. Aviva's eyes widened in recognition as a blue silhouette stirred, slowly coming to life, rising from the pile of rubble. Muldoon raised his rifle in warning, prepared to fire while safeguarding Ellie, who hid behind him.

"No, don't shoot!"exclaimed the inventor, raising her arms as the silhouette slowly erupted from the debris, revealing itself to be Martin in a T-rex Power Suit!

"Martin!"

"What the hell?"muttered the bewildered game warden, raising an eyebrow. Ellie simply stated in amazement, eyes wide open, mouth agape. As the Kratt in T-rex form slowly rose to his feet, Aviva rushed toward him, placing her hands on his snout. "Martin are you okay?"asked the inventor, her voice giving way to concern.

Groggily, Martin Rex replied, "A-Aviva. Boy, am I glad to see you. I sure took one heck of a beating from Wrecksy, but other than that, I'm A-okay.."

"Wrecksy?" asked the game warden with an incredulous tone.

The blue Rex couldn't help but chuckle, until he winced in pain. He then tried to deactivate, but being in T-rex form, he couldn't reach the deactivation button. Curse these tiny arms... Martin thought as he struggled for several minutes, trying to deactivate. Ellie and Aviva giggled at the blue Rexs' attempts before the latter stood on a tall enough pile of rubble, and pressed the deactivation button, returning him to his proper form. "Thanks, Aviva."

As quickly as it left, Aviva's sense of worry returned. Martin had little warning as the inventor grabbed his shoulders, virtually shaking him. "Where's Chris?"

The Kratt in blue's smile vanished upon the mention of his little brother. His eyes widened with horror upon recalling the events before being brutally mauled– Wrecksy's escape, her attack on the car, cornering Malcolm and Chris, and the fight that ultimately led to Martin's unconsciousness.

"Chris!"shouted the Kratt in blue, forgetting all else, breaking free from Aviva's grip, before running for the open road, searching frantically for any signs of his brother. While Martin went mad with panic and grief, Aviva's attention returned to the demolished outhouse, where she heard another moan. This time she was joined by Ellie and Muldoon, as they looked for the author of the noise among the wreckage. Soon enough they found a man in black, laying down on his back semiconscious among the twisted wood and cement.

"It's Malcolm!"exclaimed Muldoon, shining his flashlight along the length of the mathematician's body. His shirt was soaked in blood, but his leg was even worse. The right ankle had been bent outward at a strange angle from his leg. His belt had been tied around his thigh.

"He's put a tourniquet on."the paleobotanist pointed out before shaking the wounded man, "Ian! Ian!"

"Remind me to thank John for a lovely weekend."came the groggy response from Dr. Malcolm.

The T-rex roared again, closer this time. The standing trio exchange glances. "Can we chance moving him?"asked Aviva. Another roar.

"Please chance it."replied Malcolm, now fully awake. As Ellie and Muldoon loaded the injured mathematician into the jeep, Aviva noticed Martin knelt down in the middle of the road, shoulders shaking. The Kratt in blue was so consumed in his thoughts that he failed to notice the inventor coming from behind him. _I should've been there, I should've protected him_ , he thought in despair. _I'm a terrible brother._ His thoughts ceased when he felt a soft hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Aviva, her gray eyes looking down in pity on the older Kratt.

He sighed as he finally spoke, barely audible "The power went out, and Wrecksy broke out of her paddock and attacked Jimmy and the kids. We tried to stop her, tried to lure her away, and then she went after Chris and Dr. Malcolm. I tried to fight her, I really did- but, but she was too powerful! And I assume she got Gennaro, t-that's all I remember." Tears flowed freely from Martin's eyes as he recalled the details. It was then that Aviva shifted her gaze to where the Kratt in blue had been staring; a wide break in the barrier that once kept the Tyrannosaurus contained.

She raced over to the edge of the road, her eyes following the deep ruts the Explorer made when it went over the edge. The inventor's eyes widened at what she saw down below. Muldoon and Ellie were preparing to leave. "Aviva! Martin! Come on."urged the game warden. "The other car!"cried Aviva, causing the pair to disembark from the jeep and gaze into her line of sight. This also caught Martin's attention as the Kratt in blue rose from his position on the ground and peered below.

 ** _**** Several Minutes Later...****_**

Once the four reached the bottom where the car was lying on its back several yards away from the tree, their flashlight beams sprayed light by the base of the forest giant.

"Dr. Grant!" called Muldoon, looking in all directions.

"Alan!"cried the paleobotanist.

"Chris! Jimmy!"cried Martin and Aviva in unison, until Martin noticed something strange by the base of the tree; scratch marks on the wood, and a heavy impression at the tree's edge. But the car was now lying five or so yards away. The vehicle had been moved aside, but by whom? Or what? The Kratt in blue got his answer upon gazing at a pair of simian footprints by the car's heavy marks. _Wait a minute_ , Martin thought, _these were made by an orangutan, and orangutans only live in Borneo and Sumatra. Unless— of course!_

He could barely contain himself as he noticed several more footprints along those of the ape's. The other three looked on incredulously as the Kratt in blue was now laughing and dancing around in glee, chanting, "He's alive! They're alive!" It was then that Aviva and Ellie noticed the series of footprints on the forest floor. Thank God, they thought before they asked the big question.

"So now what?"the women asked in unison, much to their own surprise.

"I'm going after them."announced Martin, before glancing at Aviva with a familiar look in his eyes, "But first, I'm gonna need T-rex powers again!" To the Kratt in blue's surprise, the inventor immediately agreed, and after a few minutes, with the help of the M.I.K, and advice from Muldoon, the T-rex Power Disk was ready. Except for one thing.

"Didn't you say that the Creature Power Suits can only be activated by touching that particular animal?"asked Ellie skeptically. Aviva nodded. "So how is Martin supposed to touch a T-rex without having his head bitten off?"

"He doesn't need to," piped up the game warden, plucking out a massive, serrated tooth imbedded in the demolished vehicle. "Perhaps this'll do the trick."

"Perfect!/ ¡Perfecto!"exclaimed Martin and Aviva simultaneously.

Putting the tyrannosaur's tooth in his pocket, the creature adventurer raced to the center of the clearing, giving him enough space for the transformation before pushing the button on his vest. "Activate T-rex Power!" The other three were briefly blinded by a flash of blue, before noticing that where Martin once stood, now towered a blue Tyrannosaurus rex.

"Wow.."murmured the paleobotanist, completely awed.

"I'll be damned."said Muldoon, although it wasn't the first time he'd seen the Wild Kratts in action.

It wasn't a moment too soon; Wrecksy's roars were heard once more, too close for the trio's liking. "You guys get out of here," warned Martin Rex, looking around the clearing, sniffing the air for potential threats. "I'll look for the others." With that, the blue tyrannosaur crashed away through the undergrowth, following the trail taken by the five survivors.

Aviva watched him go. "Good luck."she whispered, watching as the jungle seemed to swallow the creature adventurer into its inky black depths. _Chris, Cariño,_ she thought, _wherever you are..please stay safe. Martin's on his way._ She was only brought out of her trance by a gentle hand on her shoulder. The inventor turned and saw Ellie waiting expectantly for her. With a nod of understanding, she followed her friend to the trail that would lead them back to the jeep.

 ** _***Several Minutes Later...****_**

Aviva, Ellie, and Muldoon were racing through the forest, desperately trying to put distance between them and their pursuer. After several minutes of running, they found their destination: a gas-powered jeep, where in the trunk, Malcolm waved frantically, urging them to hurry. Behind them, their assailant's footsteps became louder.

They quickly took their places on the jeep, Muldoon behind the wheel, as Tyrannosaurus Wrecksy came crashing through the undergrowth, _charging straight towards them at thirty miles an hour!_

Muldoon fumbled for the keys, turned the jeep over, and slammed it into gear, dropping the clutch, hitting the gas, driving out of there. But the vehicle was slow to work through the first few gears. Terrified, Aviva dared to look down, to the side view mirror, where she was greeted by the jaws of the quickly gaining predator. The three passengers stared back at the T-rex in sheer terror.

"Must go faster. It's getting closer!"exclaimed the mathematician.

"Faster!"screamed the inventor and the paleobotanist simultaneously.

Wrecksy lunged at Malcolm, who was closest. The injured man dodged the snapping jaws, but he unwittingly knocked the gear shift into neutral, allowing their pursuer to close in.

"Get off the switch! Bloody move!"shouted the game warden, trying to change gears, oblivious to the half-fallen tree branch straight ahead. "Look out!"screamed the paleobotanist in warning, spotting the major obstacle on time.

"Down!"yelled Muldoon as they all ducked to avoid being hit. The branch hit the windshield, shattering it as the jeep flew ahead. Not far behind them, Wrecksy crashed straight through the tree limb, reducing it to matchwood as she chased after her intended targets.

Losing ground now, the massive theropod made a final lunge for the jeep, crunching through the left rear quarter panel with her powerful jaws before bellowing a loud, unearthly roar at the passengers, causing the ladies to scream in fright.

Fortunately however, Muldoon slammed back into gear and gunned it. Energy spent, Wrecksy gave up, fading into the distance, prompting Aviva and Ellie to sigh in relief. The four drove in silence, all scared out of their wits.

"Think they'll have that on the tour?"piped up Malcolm, trying to break the tension.


	15. Perilous Night

Deep in the jungle, Alan, Chris, Jimmy Z, and the Murphy siblings felt themselves under the gaze of three figures prowling in the darkness before them, eyes glowing like green coals among the foliage. The jungle was silent, the only other sounds that could be heard were the silent whimpers of the Tortuga pilot and the terrified children, hiding in a stand of ferns behind the paleontologist and the creature adventurer, and the low, guttural growls of their stalkers, still concealed in the dense undergrowth ahead of the party.

After a moment of desperate silence, the foliage parted to reveal a massive, three-foot head with formidable, dagger-like teeth. As the carnivore slowly approached them, the paleontologist noted that although it was only half the size of Wrecksy, it was armed with three talons on each hand, no doubt useful for dispatching prey. If he was anyone other than Alan Grant, he would've missed the distinctive ridge on its back, which set this creature apart from most other theropods.

"Umm Alan? Classification?"whispered the Kratt in green, eyes never leaving the predator as it circled the pair, apparently to satisfy its curiosity.

"Metriacanthosaurus, carnivore, Europe, mid Jurassic."replied the paleontologist. "Twenty feet long, named for its long neural spines–" but he was cut off mid sentence as the creature adventurer pounced on him. "Watch out!"

The Metriacanthosaur's jaws missed Grant's head by a hair's length.

"That was too close."muttered the bone-digger, picking himself off the ground.

"Get behind me!"whispered Chris quite sharply, reaching for a particular disk and fur sample. "Sorry, guys. We're not on _anyone's_ menu tonight. Activate Lion Power!"

The carnivore was blinded by a bright flash of green. Once the glow subsided, the bewildered animal tilted its head in confusion, for where the man in green once stood, was now a strange, green animal, the likes of which it had never seen before. Now the foreign creature was crouched in a fighting stance, claws unsheathed, growling a warning.

Soon, hunger won over caution, as the Metriacanthosaurus warbled a shrill call, summoning its comrades hiding in the undergrowth, before circling the green interloper who dared come between them and their meal.

As the three Metriacanthosaurs surrounded the green lion and the paleontologist, Chris whispered, "No matter what happens, stay behind me." Alan nodded before the green cat added, "By the way, you may want to cover your ears." With that, the Kratt in lion form bellowed as loud of a roar as he could muster, sending leaves falling, startling the birds and bats overhead, and briefly causing their assailants to freeze in surprise.

But they refused to yield. Suddenly, the lead predator snarled, charging straight for his intended target. But Chris was ready; as the Metriacanthosaur pounced, the green lion met the dinosaur in a mid air spring, and drove his claws home, directly into his attacker's face, sending the twenty-foot theropod crashing to the ground.

"I guess those sparring lessons with Anai Pumua Moto really would come in handy."remarked the Kratt in lion form as he landed on his feet. But as he looked to his fallen rival, temporarily disoriented by the blow, the creature adventurer noticed something peculiar: this animal sported brighter colored markings compared to the much duller shades of its companions, something Chris had seen many times before. This was a male Metriacanthosaurus.

 _But how? Weren't all the animals here female?_

The green lion was startled out of his thoughts by a piercing shriek, and without further warning, felt himself being rammed from his right side by one of the dull colored females. As he was flat on his back, Chris had just enough time to raise his paws to protect his throat from the predator's snapping jaws. As suddenly as it began, the attack ceased.

The Kratt in lion form felt the theropod's weight leave him, and rising back in his feet, he saw the Metriacanthosaurus turn her attention to Dr. Grant, armed with nothing but a stout tree branch. The paleontologist swung his weapon, aiming for the marauder's face. Enraged by the blows, the dinosaur snapped her jaws, grabbing the branch in her teeth before wrenching it from Alan's grasp, disarming him. After tossing the branch away in the thicket, the predator slowly advanced towards her new quarry, forcing him against a large tree. Options limited, with his back against the trunk, Grant resigned to his fate, awaiting the killer blow...which didn't come. Only a shrill screech was heard, followed by a heavy thud.

Forcing an eye open, Alan looked to see his attacker lying on the ground, pinned down by the green lion. "Get out of here! Take Jimmy and the kids!"roared Chris over the struggling dinosaur. "I'll hold them off!" That being said, he seized the Metriacanthosaur's tail, spinning her around twice before flinging her against the other female charging towards him, sending both theropods crashing on the forest floor.

No sooner had the bone digger gathered the hidden trio when the male Metriacanthosaurus pounced before them, blocking their escape, growling menacingly. Glancing behind, Alan could see the females overwhelm Chris, simultaneously attacking the lion with their teeth and claws. The Kratt in lion form fought with all his strength, but the marauding predators were proving too much for him to handle alone. A shrill hiss and panicked screams brought the paleontologist's attention back to the male dinosaur, flashing his fangs, moving in for the kill. That was when the earth started to shake...

In that moment, the attack on Chris stopped as the female theropods backed off, heads looking in all directions. The creature adventurer took advantage of the opportunity and slowly rose back on his feet.

 _BOOM BOOM_

The male Metriacanthosaurus ceased his deadly advance on his would be victims, bewildered by the sudden vibrations that seemed to be coming from all directions. The party reunited with the Kratt in green, hearts racing, frozen with fear, for unlike the Metriacanthosaurs, they knew full well what that sound meant. _Wrecksy was back!_

 _BOOM BOOM BOOM_

The footsteps became louder. Soon enough great crashing and the tearing of foliage could be heard, as the T-rex tore through the undergrowth, thundering towards them!

In an attempt to frighten the intruder away, the Metriacanthosaurs hissed and uttered piercing roars in the general direction the noise came from. But instead, they were answered by a louder, more terrifying bellow, causing the three predators to flinch with fright. Behind the green lion, the group remained frozen, too petrified to move as the Tyrannosaurus rex came closer and closer.

The three theropods began to back away slowly as the foliage parted, revealing a monstrous head sporting fifty serrated, bone crushing teeth, cold eyes glaring down at them. The tyrannosaur crashed out of the gloom, uncovering a massive bulk twice the size of the cowering Metriacanthosaurs. The females shrieked in terror before taking off, abandoning their hunt. The male theropod, quite recklessly, hissed a warning, challenging the bigger carnivore before being seized by the T-rexs' open jaws.

The humans cringed, expecting to hear the crunching of bones as the Metriacanthosaurus screamed in fear, being shaken about in the tyrannosaur's mouth. But the bite never came.

Instead the massive predator threw the terrified Metriacanthosaur towards the edge of the moonlit clearing, where he crashed against a massive forest giant. Recovering from his fall, the male Metriacanthosaurus uttered a pitiful screech before retreating back into the jungle's darkness. As the smaller theropod scampered away, the Tyrannosaurus blared a loud, deafening roar before, much to the party's surprise, it yelled, "Don't ever mess with my friends or my brother again!"

Having had his eyes closed the entire time, Chris forced an eye open before both flew wide open in surprise. "Martin?"he managed to squeak. And indeed, it was the older Kratt brother, but in T-rex form. "Martin, you're alright!"

Soon enough, Chris' surprise turned into uncontainable joy as he deactivated from his lion form, before racing towards his older brother, embracing the massive snout tightly, as though afraid he might lose him again.

"I thought I lost you,"he whispered, unable to control the tears flooding his eyes.

"I almost lost you once. I was afraid I'd lose you. Permanently."replied Martin Rex, his voice thick with emotion, before adding, "Nobody messes with my little bro." With that he nudged the Kratt in green with his snout, before accidentally knocking him over, earning a slight wince of pain.

"Are you okay?"asked the Kratt in Rex form, genuinely concerned.

"I'm fine, bro. Just got hammered pretty hard by those dinos."replied Chris, clutching his pained ribs.

The rest of the group stood dumbfounded by the reunion before the Tortuga pilot strode up to the Kratt Brothers. "Hey Martinosaurus. How's it going?"Jimmy greeted rather nonchalantly.

"Besides having my tail kicked by an angry T-rex, doing great."replied Martin, chuckling at his new nickname. "It's good to see you're okay JZ," he added before brofisting the pilot with his rather shortened arms. At that moment, Grant approached the trio, Lex and Tim in tow.

"Good to see you're alright, Martin."said the paleontologist, glancing up at the ' head towering over them before adding, " And thank you for saving us. Again."

Lex nodded in agreement to the bone digger's words, while Tim ran up to Martin's feet, eaten up with excitement, practically hyperventilating, "Thank you _so_ much, Mr. Kratt!"

Martin Rex couldn't help but chuckle as he replied, "Anytime, Timmy. But please, just call me Martin, or as Jimmy says, 'Martinosaurus.'" This last statement earned chuckles from Jimmy Z and Chris.

"Is that a T-rex Power Suit? That's so awesome! How did that happen?"

The ten-year old was cut off by a blaring roar in the distance. The roar of the real T-rex patrolling her territory. Then a period of eerie calm.

"I'll tell you all about it on our way back to the Visitors Center."said the blue Rex gently, before bending down to the level of the multitude, his stomach making contact with the earth. "All aboard the T-rex Express! First time riders, hang on tight!"added the older Kratt humorously, earning giggles from the younger members. Eventually the group took their places on the tyrannosaur's back, Chris sat in the lead, Jimmy just behind the Kratt in green, the children took up the middle, and lastly, the paleontologist took his place in the rear. Feeling that his passengers were secure and accounted for, Martin Rex slowly rose from the ground, and after asking directions from his brother perched on his head, he took off with an earth-shaking roar, thundering through the trail that would lead them home.


	16. Songs of the Jurassic

"..and _that's_ how I got T-rex Powers."

As Martin Rex lumbered through the jungle trail with his five passengers in tow, he recounted the events that happened prior to the reunion, from the battle with Wrecksy, to the moment the Kratt in blue took on the great predator's form. The party, especially the younger audience, listened to the tale in fascination. Chris was especially attentive, with each passing detail, the Kratt in green was all the more thankful that his brother had made it through the ordeal in one piece. After all, very few living things could face off against a fully grown Tyrannosaurus rex and live to tell the tale.

At the same time, the Kratt in T-rex form listened Chris' thrilling accounts of narrowly escaping Wrecksy's hellish jaws, the treetop rescue, and the battle with the Metriacanthosaur pack, all the time relieved that his younger brother had made it through a rather eventful night, and impressed on his ability to handle his own in the midst of such peril. "But if you hadn't shown up," finished the Kratt in green from atop of Martin's great head "we would've been dino-chow before midnight."

Both Kratts were puzzled over the presence of the male dinosaur in a female-populated island. There was no mistaking the vibrant coloring, despite the protests from a skeptical Grant. But that was a creature mystery to solve another day.

Two hours had passed since the Metriacanthosaurus encounter, and the full moon had risen ever higher, illuminating the forest roads with her silver light. After a while, Chris noticed that the blue tyrannosaur's pace was starting to become slower. His suspicions were confirmed when the locomotive beneath him yawned rather loudly. Martin was beginning to tire.

Feeling drowsy himself, the Kratt in green leaned down to Martin's eye level. "Getting tired, huh bro? Why don't we settle somewhere for the night?"

Martin Rex shook his head. "No way. I bet we're halfway there." The older Kratt yawned again before he continued, saying,"Besides, we can't set up camp down here. It's dangerous."

"I'm not talking about sleeping on the ground, dude. What I meant was maybe we can find a suitable tree—like that one!" And just ahead stood a towering forest giant well over fifty feet tall.

"Alright, you win."said the Kratt in Rex form, making his way towards the tree's base before he addressed his passengers,"Okay, ladies and gentlemen, rest stop!" With that, he stood almost fully erect, forming a makeshift ladder with his forty-foot body, his nose touching the tree's lower branches nearly twenty feet off the ground, while using his tail as a counterbalance.

After nudging Jimmy, who had fallen asleep half an hour earlier, Alan, Lex and Tim made their way from the tyrannosaur's back to the arboreal fortress. Jimmy followed soon after. Chris was halfway up the tree when he noticed that Martin was still on the ground.

"Aren't you gonna come up?"he asked. Martin Rex looked up in his brother's direction before he replied, "I'll be right up! As soon as I deactivate."

As with last time, it was no easy task. Chris found himself struggling not to laugh at his brother's attempts to deactivate with those dinky little arms. After a heavy thud from the ground and muttered curses, the Kratt in green couldn't control himself, and soon enough, he was joined by the rest of the party, chuckling at the sight below them. Martin huffed in annoyance, sending Chris an unamused glance.

After recovering his breath, Chris whispered something to Tim who nodded eagerly, smile evident on his features before the two slid down the tree to aid the still struggling Martin Rex. Chris made his way toward the blue dinosaur, with Tim perched on his shoulders. Once they reached his underbelly, the ten-year old reached as high as he could, pushing the deactivation button.

Once he turned back to normal, Martin sent Chris a glare, thwacking him on the head before looking up to Tim, still on the Kratt in green's shoulders. "Thanks, Timmy."he said with a smile before the trio made their way back up the forest giant.

They met the rest of the gang on a secure fork when they noticed that everyone's eyes were looking out over the horizon, where the full moon shone over the lush, tropical jungle, which stretched for miles on end, blanketed by clouds of mist. Most striking of all were the dozens of giraffelike heads protruding from the canopy. It looked for all the world like a time when the Earth was young, and populated by these magnificent creatures in great numbers.

"Hey! Those are Brontosauruses— I mean, Brachiosauruses."

"Cool."said JZ.

"Awesome!"added the Kratt Brothers simultaneously.

After a moment of silence, the night air was filled with the trumpeting calls of the sauropods, an enchanting sound that carried for miles.

"Listen to that. They're singing."noted the paleontologist as he moved to a higher limb for a better view. The creature adventurers were mystified by the ancient melody, which sounded strange yet eerily familiar.

"Of course no one's ever heard a dinosaur song before," whispered Chris to his older brother, "but—I could swear that sounds suspiciously like a mating call. Similar to those of humpback whales. In an all-female environment?" Martin simply nodded in agreement before he wore a face the Kratt in green knew all too well. After whispering the plan in a smirking Chris' ear, the two creature adventurers stood at the edge of the tree fork before uttering hoots of their own, trying to imitate the trumpeting Brachiosaurs. Almost immediately, five or six of the towering heads turned in their direction, answering their calls.

"No, no! Sh, shh, stop! Don't let the monsters come over here!"whispered a petrified Lex.

"They're not monsters, Lex. They're just animals."reassured Dr. Grant before Martin added,"And these are herbivores."

"That means they only eat vegetables."piped up Chris as the young dino-fanatic humorously stated,"But for you I think they'd make an exception."

"Oh, I hate the other kind."deadpanned his sister, unamused.

"Well, they're just doing what they do," replied Martin. "If there weren't any carnivores, the herbivores would overpopulate, and–and—" but a yawn cut him off, so he concluded, "we'll just discuss it tomorrow."

As everyone shifted in their spots to make themselves comfortable, Alan winced in pain from something in his pocket. Digging it out, he pulled out a fossilized Velociraptor claw. Lost in a million thoughts, the paleontologist looked at the thing that used to be priceless.

"What are you gonna do now if you don't have to dig up dinosaurs anymore?"asked Jimmy, staring in fascination at the talon.

"I don't know, Jimmy. I guess we'll just have to evolve too."replied the bone digger.

A moment of silence. "What do you call a blind dinosaur?"asked Tim, making a joke.

"I don't know. What do you call a blind dinosaur?"replied Chris.

"A Do-you-think-he-saurus." Grant chuckled. The three Wild Kratts burst into laughter while Lex rolled her eyes, a slight smile on her face.

"What do you call a blind dinosaur's dog?"

"You got me there."said JZ.

"Do-you-think-he-saurus Rex." Same response.

"What if the dinosaurs come back while we're all asleep?"asked Lex, unable to hide the worry in her voice.

"I'll stay awake."reassured Grant.

"All night?"

"All night."

"We'll help. We can take the next shift."piped up the Kratt Brothers. Alan nodded gratefully.

After good nights were exchanged, the two creature adventurers climbed a convenient tree limb to settle for the night. On a branch below them, sleep had already claimed the Tortuga pilot, now peacefully dozing as though they were back in the HQ. Martin's eyelids were slowly closing before he felt a tap on his shoulder. Opening them, he spied Chris kneeling besides him.

"Something wrong, dude?"asked the older Kratt, noting the slight worry in his younger brother's eyes.

"I was wondering if I could borrow your Creaturepod. Mine was damaged in the Metriacanthosaur fight. I wanna let Aviva and Koki know we're alright." The Kratt in blue simply nodded, passing the Creaturepod to Chris before the gadget started ringing, startling them both until they answered, revealing the said inventor and computer whizz on the holographic screen.

"I think they heard you, bro!"added Martin with a chuckle. "Hey Aviva! Hi Koki!"

"Martin! Chris! Thank goodness you're okay!"exclaimed Aviva, relieved that the brothers were in one piece. "Where's Jimmy?"asked Koki, concern evident on her features.

"Don't worry, Koki. Jimmy's safe,"said Martin, gesturing to the pilot's sleeping form before he added,"and so is everyone else."

"That's a relief. We'll let Mr. Hammond know."

"How's Malcolm?"asked the Kratt in blue, having suddenly remembered crashing into the concrete building with the man in black, worried over what had become of the mathematician during the attack that affected them both.

"Ian's fine, although he's badly injured. Broken leg and several smashed ribs."replied the inventor, shuddering at the memory of finding the wounded man.

The pair then chose that moment to inform the creature adventurers about all that had occurred during their split in the afternoon, about the technical malfunctions, the failing security, and news of Zach's involvement in the scheme.

Like the technical duo, the Kratts were puzzled. What could the evil inventor possibly be up to this time?

"Whatever it is, it definitely can't be be good."said Martin, eyes slightly narrowed.

"Anyway, we'll be back by tomorrow morning."declared the Kratt in green. Looking to Aviva, he added," I promise."

Tears welled up in the inventor's gray eyes as she whispered, "I know you will. Just please be careful. Te amo." With that, she blew him a kiss.

"Goodnight. I love you too."came the reply. After the team exchanged good nights, the holographic screen disappeared.

"Goodnight, Chris."said Martin groggily, settling back in his place on the tree limb. "See ya in the AM, bro."replied Chris with a yawn. Soon the two creature adventurers were lulled to sleep by the trumpeting lullaby of the Brachiosaurs, singing their ancient songs in the moonlight.


	17. Illusions

Back in the Visitors Center, Aviva and Koki ended their call with the Kratt Brothers and went to tell the rest of the group of the first good news after a disastrous night. Everyone was relieved, but none more so than Ellie and Mr. Hammond, who were worried sick about their loved ones stranded out there in the park. The confirmation of their survival raised their spirits in the midst of this chaos.

Later that night, as she was roaming through the dark hallways, Aviva noticed a small light flickering from the corner of her eye. Following it to the source, she found herself in a darkened restaurant, where a candle burned at a table in the corner. Hammond sat at the table alone, eating a dish of ice cream from a bucket, staring down morosely.

The inventor drew up to the table. Once Hammond realized he wasn't alone, he looked up at her, but she noticed that his eyes were puffy, his hair was messed up. For the first time she's seen him, the fire is gone from his eyes.

"They were all melting."said the entrepreneur rather quietly. Aviva simply nodded before she replied,"Malcolm's okay for now. I gave him a shot of morphine."

"If what you and Mrs. Bambrick said was true, they'll all be fine."said the elderly man, noting the young woman's disheartened look. "Who better to get the children through Jurassic Park than a dinosaur expert?" Mr. Hammond then added, "and two creature adventurers."

Another nod. Another pause as the entrepreneur gazed at the ceiling thoughtfully before breaking the silence.

"You know the first attraction I ever built when I came down south from Scotland? Was a Flea Circus, Petticoat Lane. Real quite wonderful. We had a wee trapeze, a roundabout–merry go- What do you call it?"

"Carousel."replied Aviva with a giggle over the mental picture.

"A carousel— and a seesaw. They all moved motorized of course, but people would swear they could see the fleas. 'I see the fleas, mummy! Can't you see the fleas?' Clown fleas, wire fleas, fleas on parade,"

Aviva just looked at him, not sure what his state is. The old man went on, a little more serious this time.

"But with this place– I- I wanted to show them something that was real, something that wasn't an illusion, something that they could see and touch. An aim devoid of merit."

"But you can't think through this one. You have to feel it."replied the inventor skeptically.

"You're absolutely right. Yes, you're right. Hiring Nedry was a mistake, that's obvious. We're over dependent on automation. I can see that now. But that's all correctable for the next time around."

"John, John. John" Aviva murmured, shaking her head. "You're still building onto that Flea Circus, that illusion. And now you're adding onto it by what you're doing here. That's the illusion."

"When we have control again–" but the entrepreneur was cut off by Aviva's sudden outburst.

"Control?! You never _had_ control! I was overwhelmed by the power of this place. So I made a mistake too. I didn't have enough respect for that power, and it's out now. You're sitting here trying to pick up the pieces. John, there's nothing worth picking up." Hammond remained quiet, wanting to hear what else Aviva had to say. With a sigh, the inventor went on, "The only thing that matters now are the people out there, the people we love. Chris, Martin, Jimmy, Lex and Tim. And Dr. Grant too. John, they're out there where people are dying- people are dying, you know?"

Tears welled up in the inventor's eyes at the thought of her friends, especially Chris, were in mortal danger out there in the jungles where dinosaurs were running rampant. She couldn't bear the thought of him getting hurt again, or worse. She was brought out of her despairing thoughts by a hand on each of her shoulders, and looking over to her left, she met Ellie's gaze, which was smiling sympathetically. Koki was standing at her right side, wearing a similar look, though her eyes were also watery.

"We're _all_ worried, Aviva. They'll be all right."reassured Ellie, reaching out for a bowl of ice cream.

"Besides," added the Tortuga technician, " Those two laugh at danger. You know that. They may be crazy sometimes, but they know what they're doing. There's few things they can't handle." With that she reached out for two bowls, passing one to Aviva who smiled gratefully.

"Thanks, guys. Delicioso."she said after a spoonful, savoring the taste.

"This ice cream tastes great." complimented Koki.

"It's good."added the paleobotanist.

Hammond smiled at the simple comments. "Spared no expense."


	18. Revelation

Morning light descended over Jurassic Park, and the danger of the night before was overcome by the jungle's sheer beauty as the sun's rays filtered through the forest canopy.

On the thickest branch of a towering forest giant that overlooked the jungle for miles around, Alan Grant dozed, both Murphy siblings curled up under his arms. But he was disturbed from his sleep by a loud rustling noise before him as a heavy shadow fell over the trio, blocking out the sun entirely. Stirring from his slumber, his drowsy eyes were greeted by a gigantic scaly head resting on a long, giraffelike neck. The creature in question paid the humans little mind as it continued chomping down on the leafy branch over their heads, for all the world like an oversize tree trimmer.

The kids awaken with a start before their eyes fell on the gargantuan intruder. Now fully awake, Lex quickly backed further against the tree in panic.

"Go away!"shrieked the twelve-year old in horror.

"It's okay! It's okay, it's a Brachiosaur."reassured the paleontologist quietly, not wanting to scare their sixty-ton visitor.

"Veggiesaurus, Lex! Veggiesaurus!"exclaimed Tim, hardly able to contain his excitement. However, all the commotion disrupted the slumber of a certain pizza-eating pilot. Yawning, Jimmy Z stretched his arms before asking, "Why are we all yelling?" It wasn't long before he spied the Brachiosaurus browsing just inches away from his leafy perch, and with a girlish scream, all thoughts of sleep fled from his mind as the redhead scrambled further away from the edge. "Wait a minute–" murmured JZ, realizing something. "Where are the Kratt Bros?"

His answer came when two laughs were heard thirty feet below them. "Don't worry, Jimmy. Ginkgo here wouldn't hurt a fly!"said a familiar voice, followed by another that said incredulously, "I _still_ can't believe you decided on Ginkgo."

"What? She likes ginkgo leaves."replied the first voice.

Peering down, the group spied Martin and Chris, standing on Ginkgo's back, waving. Alan rolled his eyes in amusement at the brothers' antics while Tim scrambled closer to the edge, trying to get the newly named sauropod's attention.

Grant also moved forward with a leafy branch in his grasp, offering it up to the massive herbivore, who accepted it gladly. Unfortunately for the paleontologist, the sauropod's strength was proving too much for him as Ginkgo began a game of tug-of-war. "Take a bite. Take a bite. I'm not letting go." Fortunately however, the Dino-fanatic and Tortuga pilot quickly came to his aid, preventing the bone-digger from falling forward as the Brachiosaur devoured the tree limb from his grasp.

Suddenly Ginkgo made a loud trumpet call, startling the four. "She's saying thanks for breakfast!"yelled Martin from his place on the vast herbivore's back, who continued browsing on the fresh foliage the tree had to offer. As Ginkgo continued her foraging, Tim reached out to pet the giant head, Jimmy followed soon after.

"Her nose is running. Looks like she has a cold."the ten-year old remarked, stroking the massive snout.

"Just like an overgrown cow."added JZ, referring to the sauropod's rather nonchalant chewing action.

"And just like cows, sauropods like Brachiosaurus spent much of their day eating. That's just what Ginkgo here has been doing since we followed her on sunrise."replied Martin down below. "Like Frillina the Triceratops, sauropod dinosaurs also rely on gastrolith stones to help break down tough plant matter. And I imagine that just like elephants, they have to eat hundreds of pounds of vegetation every day!"finished the Kratt in green, from his place halfway up on Ginkgo's thirty foot neck.

"I'd say around more than eight hundred pounds, maybe even half a ton's worth of food to be exact."said the paleontologist, pulling the animal's lower lip, which revealed rows of peglike teeth, to reveal the jaw at work. Ginkgo kept chewing, not objecting to the inspection. "You're a big beautiful animal."

"Can I touch it?"asked Lex, her fear gone, replaced with fascination.

"Sure, just think of it as–" here Dr. Grant cast a look at Jimmy,"as kind of an overgrown cow."

With that, the twelve-year old tentatively edged forward, closer to the Brachiosaurus. "Come on, girl. Up here."

The two creature adventurers exchange worried glances as they noticed something overlooked by everyone else. "Uh-oh, I think Ginkgo's about to—"

But Chris never finished as said Brachiosaurus sneezed, sending an explosion of dino-snot flying at Lex, now dripping wet from head to toe.

"God bless you!"shouted Tim politely, earning laughs from the Wild Kratts boys.

 _ *****Two Hours Later...******_

After a breakfast of cold pizza from Jimmy Z's backpack and edible wild fruits and nuts collected by the Kratt Brothers, the party were once again on the jungle road. This time however, Chris traveled ahead from the trees, swinging through the vines, scouting the trail for potential dangers, while Martin took up the rear. "Clear!"signaled the Kratt in green every so often to indicate that the trail was safe. Only once was the traveling group ordered to stop, the reason being the trio of Metriacanthosaurs from last night in the next clearing, feasting on a fresh kill, a hadrosaur, according to Grant. The group wisely, and very quietly, gave the carnivores a wide berth, making a wide circle around them before picking up the trail again.

Putting the predatory dinosaurs behind them, the group continued their way through the forest, opposite the direction of the rising sun, making their way back to the Visitors Center. Soon the group fell into animated discussion, oblivious to the Kratt in blue tripping over the base of a massive forest giant.

"Clear!"shouted Chris, signaling that the coast was clear. But as he turned to look back on the travelers on the ground, he noticed something was wrong.

"Where's Martin?"

The party looked behind them, but no sign of the older Kratt. "We need to go back and look for him!"stated Chris urgently, as he slid down from the trees and raced back the way they came. The bone-digger, Tortuga pilot and children soon followed.

To everyone's relief, they found Martin by the base of a towering tree, lying on his stomach, eyes twinkling at the sight before him. "Where were you, bro? You had us worried sick! I thought you wer—" scolded Chris before he looked in his brother's line of sight. Soon the Kratt in green crouched beside Martin marveling at the sight before their eyes: a whole clutch of dinosaur eggs, all hatched but now empty. They were soon joined by the others, who looked over Chris' shoulders in amazement.

"You know what this is?"began Chris, holding a large fragment. "It's a dinosaur egg. The dinosaurs are breeding."

"But– my grandpa said all the dinosaurs were girls."stated Tim doubtfully.

"Amphibian DNA."murmured Grant as the realization hit him.

"What's that?"asked Lex.

"Well, on the tour– the film said they used frog DNA to fill in the sequence gaps."answered the paleontologist, analyzing another piece of eggshell. "They mutated the dinosaurs' genetic code and blended it with that of a frogs."

Martin continued for Grant, saying,"Now, some West African frogs have been known to spontaneously change sex from male to female in a single sex environment, which explains the male Metriacanthosaurus–"

"And the Brachiosaur mating calls from last night."added Chris, confirming their suspicions.

"Malcolm was right!"concluded the Kratt Brothers simultaneously before exchanging surprised glances, earning laughs from one another before noticing sets of tiny footprints leading away from the nest.

"Life found a way!"


	19. Shutting Down The System

In the control room, the atmosphere was one of resignation, even as the sun's rays filtered in through the windows. Hammond and Arnold were debating as to their next course of action, while Malcolm, bandaged but still in pain, hung around with Ellie and Muldoon, hoping for something positive for a change.

"No, no, no, that's crazy, you're out of your mind, he's absolutely out of his mind–"

"Wait a minute. What exactly does this mean?"asked Ellie, her wandering attention returned to the two gentlemen.

Before Hammond could answer, the door parted as the two Wild Kratts ladies burst in, excitement evident on their faces. Aviva and Koki had gone outside not long before, whether to receive the fresh morning air or to get away from the ever growing tension inside, no one knew. Neither of them had gotten much sleep the night before, that much was clear from their disarranged hair and the bags under their eyes. But something was causing the their spirits to lift, beaming smiles illuminating in the gloom.

All eyes were on the pair. "Guys, we have great news," began Aviva, Creaturepod in hand, hardly able to contain her joy. "The bros called. They've made it through the night in one piece, along with Jimmy, Alan, Lex and Tim. They're on their way as we speak. "

"That's wonderful news," said the paleobotanist, now sharing her friends' enthusiasm.

"Wonderful needs indeed."agreed the entrepreneur, relief clear in his voice.

"Nothing can stop those blokes."added the game warden with a chuckle.

"When will they get here? _If_ they will.."asked the injured mathematician, earning an elbow to the ribs from Muldoon.

"According to the Kratt bros, they'll arrive in about an hour, maybe two."added Koki, oblivious to the last part, before asking, "So what did we miss?"

At this point, Ellie returned her attention to InGen's CEO. "You were saying, Mr. Hammond?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes."muttered Hammond, clearing his throat before he responded, "We were talking, ladies, about a calculated risk, which is the only option left to us. We will never find the command Nedry used. He covered his tracks far too well, and I think it's obvious he's not coming back. So shutting down the system–"

"I will not do it. You'll have to get somebody else, because I will not." interrupted the lead technician.

"–shutting down the system is the only way to guarantee wiping out everything he did. If I understand correctly, all the system will come back on their original start-up modes,"Hammond continued, addressing the trio. As Aviva noticed, for the first time since yesterday, the twinkle had returned to the old man's eyes. Turning back to Arnold, he asked, "Correct?"

"Theoretically, yes, but we've never shut down the whole system. It may not come back at all."said Arnold doubtfully.

"But would we get the phones back?" asked the paleobotanist.

"Yeah, again, in theory."came the reply.

"What about the lysine contingency? We could put that into effect."thought the game warden out loud.

"What's that?"asked the three ladies simultaneously, much to their own surprise.

"That's absolutely out of the question."said the entrepreneur.

"The lysine contingency– it's intended to prevent the spread of the animals, in case they ever got off the island, but we could use it now." Arnold answered. "Dr. Wu inserted a gene that makes a single faulty enzyme in protein metabolism. The animals can't manufacture the amino acid lysine. Unless they're continually supplied with lysine by us, they'll go into a comma and die."

"How would we cut off the lysine?"wondered Ellie.

"No trick to it. Just stop running the program. Leaving them unattended."

At this point Malcolm spoke up. "How soon before they become comatose?"

"It would be totally painless– they'd just slip into unconsciousness and they die."

"And how long before that happens?"

"About— seven days, more or less."

"Seven days?! Seven days?!"exclaimed Ellie incredulously.

Aviva's palm was on her forehead as she muttered sarcastically _"Bueno. Maravilloso_."

"That'll– it'd be a first; man and dinosaur all die together. John's plan."deadpanned the mathematician.

The next thing Arnold knew, he felt his shirt collar being yanked forward as he made contact with Koki's brown eyes, which were narrowed in anger.

"Listen here, buster."muttered the Tortuga technician venomously between clenched teeth. "In case you didn't get the memo: _People. Are. Dying!_ And much sooner than seven days! So unless you want that to continue happening, I suggest you shut down the system!"

There was a brief moment in which no one dared to speak. Aviva and Ellie exchanged glances. Before long, Hammond stepped forward. "Will you please shut down the system?"

In answer, the park technician heaved a defeated sigh. Koki took that as her cue to release her grip on Arnold's collar. "You asked for it–" With that, he got to his feet, slowly making his way across the room to a red metal box on the wall. Taking a key from his belt, the technician unlocked the door, which opened to reveal four switches inside. One by one, he flipped them off, leaving only a single lever left. His hand hovered over it. "–and you got it." he flipped the lever.

Every monitor, every terminal, every light shut out, plunging everyone into near-darkness. A moment of silence. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Arnold turned back to the box, flipping the row of safety switches back again, before hesitating by the main switch. "Hold on to your butts." With that he threw the final switch.

Nothing happened. Another pause. "Listen. Which of you knows how to handle a gun?"asked Muldoon, breaking the silent atmosphere. At that point, the Tortuga computer whizz noticed a faint green light from the corner of her eye. Approaching the source, Koki came to the monitor, the only mechanical thing in the room that's on. The left hand corner of the screen displayed only two words: ** _/system ready._**

"It's alright! It's on! It worked!"announced the Tortuga technician triumphantly, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Wait a minute. What do you mean "worked"? Everything's still off!"wondered Malcolm incredulously, looking around the darkened room.

"The shutdown must have tripped the circuit breakers."answered Arnold, approaching the monitor. "All we have to do is turn them back on, reboot a few systems in here– the phones, security doors, half a dozen others–but it worked!"

"And where are the breakers?"asked Aviva.

"Over in the maintenance shed. Other side of the compound. I'll go out there. Three minutes, and I can have the power back on in the entire park."

"I'm going too."added Koki. That being said, the two technicians prepared to leave, but not before the three women shared an embrace.

"Good luck, Koki."whispered Ellie.

"Be careful."cautioned Aviva.

"We will."reassured the computer whizz with a wink. With that she followed Mr. Arnold to the exit.

"Just to be safe, I'd like to have everyone else in the emergency bunker until Mr. Arnold and Mrs. Bambrick return, and the whole system is back on its feet again."announced Hammond to those that remained. No time was wasted as the game warden and the paleobotanist carried a Gerry rigged stretcher that held Malcolm down the narrow path that led to the emergency compound, followed by Hammond and the Tortuga inventor. _Guys_ , thought Aviva. _Please be careful._


	20. Stampede

After informing Aviva and Koki as to their whereabouts, Martin, Chris, Jimmy Z, Alan, and the Murphy siblings continued their trek back to the Visitors Center. The sun was high as they left the relative safety of the jungle behind and reached more open country, where the grassy plains stretched as far as the eye can see. With the change in landscape and the absence of trees, Chris took to the sky to scout ahead, courtesy of his Peregrine Falcon form, while Martin guarded the rear, eyes darting from left to right, ever watchful for potential dangers on the ground. Further ahead of the Kratt in blue, Dr. Grant walked in the lead, guiding the troop through the field, map in hand, while JZ kept the children entertained, recalling stories from adventures past.

"Clear!"screeched the green avian every so often, swooping over the hikers' heads, earning chuckles from down below. This went on for an hour until Chris was circling above them, signaling the party to halt.

Dropping altitude, he landed gracefully before deactivating his CPS to join the others who were waiting expectantly for the news.

"What is it bro?"said Martin.

"It's not Wrecksy or the other meat-eaters, is it?"asked the Tortuga pilot, nervous at the possibility of another theropod encounter. Lex and Tim shuddered at the mention of the T-rex.

"Chris, report."stated the paleontologist firmly.

With a familiar twinkle in his eye, the Kratt in green spoke, "You guys are gonna love this. Just half a mile beyond the hill up ahead. C'mon!" With that, he took off in a bolt.

"Hey, Chris! Wait up, dude!"yelled Martin, following after his younger brother. It wasn't long before the rest of the group went in the direction the Kratt Brothers had taken.

They soon caught up with the creature adventurers at the top of a green hill. Their eyes grew as wide as saucers as they beheld what was beyond the rise: a small herd of lumbering herbivorous dinosaurs, half a dozen or so, was peacefully grazing under the shade of a solitary ginkgo tree. Despite their tiny heads, their bodies were massive; the older members measuring thirty feet from nose to tail, and appeared to be as heavy as a bull elephant. But the features that stood out among these behemoths were the two rows of spinal plates along their broad backs and the four formidable spikes on their tails.

"Stegosaurus."whispered the creature adventurers in unison, completely in awe of these iconic dinosaurs.

"Stegosaurus stenops. North America, late Jurassic, herbivore."murmured Grant, addressing the younger audience.

"Wow.."Lex and Tim marveled.

"Groovy decoration they got there. What're they for?"asked Jimmy.

"Plates."answered the bone-digger. "They're called plates. And as to what they were for, Jimmy, no one knows."

"By the looks of it, they're probably used for display, like the feathers on a peacock."responded Martin.

"Or like Schnozzle's nose; the males would probably use their plates to show how strong and healthy they are."added the Kratt in green.

"Schnozzle?"asked Alan with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, he's a male Proboscis monkey we met in Borneo." explained the Kratt in blue. The paleontologist nodded in understanding.

"What's that?"questioned the twelve-year old hacker, pointing to a figure emerging from the edge of the forest. As the men turned their heads in the direction Lex was pointing, their eyes widened, but not in a good way.

As the figure slowly made its way out of the undergrowth, it revealed a long, crocodilelike snout attached to a massive body. In addition to its nasty teeth, the creature was armed with long, powerful arms, and three razor-sharp claws, the thumb claws curving into formidable meat hooks. Without doubt, this was a predator, and it was stalking the herd.

"A Baryonyx!"whispered Tim, crouching lower.

"A what now?"asked a frightened Jimmy. The paleontologist answered, replying, "Baryonyx. Thirty feet from nose to tail, England, mid Cretaceous. Carnivore, fish-eater."

"Wait, how do you know?"

"Crocodilelike snout, heavy hooklike claws, not to mention the first fossil remains contained a half digested fish in the dinosaur's stomach."

"It doesn't look like fish is on the menu today. Look!" The group looked to where Martin pointed, and the huge theropod leaped out of cover with a loud, guttural roar, _charging straight for the Stegosaurs!_

However, this loud and noisy approach alerted the herd of the carnivore's presence. The Stegosaurs quickly closed ranks, forming a circle of plates and spikes around the younger herd members, protecting them from the looming threat. The eldest member of the herd, likely the matriarch, stepped outside the phalanx to engage the Baryonyx in battle, stomping her feet, swinging her lethal tail spikes towards her adversary.

"A never before seen creature moment!"announced Martin, recording the action with his Creaturepod. "Two radically different species, from different time periods and from different continents, locked in combat!"added the Kratt in green, watching, along with everyone else, as the two dinosaurs clashed, the Baryonyx with her teeth and talons, and the alpha Stegosaurus with her macelike tail.

"Barbara keeps showing off her side to the Baryonyx, she's using her plates as a massive billboard that says: ' _Back off! I'm bigger than you, and I have spikes on my tail, and I will use them!'_ "heralded Martin, deepening his voice at the last part, earning giggles from the children.

"Barbara? Of all names, you pick Barbara?"questioned Chris with a raised eyebrow.

"What? Her tail's full of barbs. Barbara."

"Fascinating."noted the paleontologist. "She's using her plates to make herself look bigger and more dangerous than she really is. That certainly rules out the theory that they used them for thermal regulation."

"But the Baryonyx isn't buying it."said the Kratt in blue, noticing that the carnivore refused to yield, but continued circling her quarry, waiting for an opening. Suddenly, with a blaring shriek, the croc-snouted theropod charged head on, slashing the Stegosaurus' flank with sharp talons. Barbara bellowed in pain as blood flowed freely from the wound, before swinging her tail towards her attacker. However, the Baryonyx ducked, narrowly missing the lethal swing of her foe's tail.

"Swing and a miss!"exclaimed the Tortuga pilot.

"Ouch! Those claws cut as deeply as a katana sword. And that's just what I'm gonna call her–Katana!"commented Martin, earning a chuckle from Tim and an eye roll from Chris before another roar brought his attention back to the duel.

"And it looks like Katana's going in for a jaw bite–right for Barbara's neck! Barbara's in trouble now!"

"But it doesn't look like it's doing much damage,"replied Alan." The teeth of Baryonyx were designed to grip prey, not exactly for tearing like most other theropods."

The Stegosaurus seemed to sense this, so she mustered all her strength to shake off Katana's jaws. Once the carnivore loosened her grip, Barbara took advantage of the opportunity to break free, using her weight to push her attacker back, before delivering a swift blow to her enemy's side, knocking Katana off her feet.

"Ooh! That's gotta hurt."remarked Chris, wincing.

"Is she dead?"asked Lex, noticing the Baryonyx wasn't moving. But after half a minute, Katana slowly rose to her feet, shaking her croc-like head to regain focus.

"Nope. Just had the wind knocked out of her."replied Martin, still recording as the theropod began to slowly back away from the victorious Stegosaurus, who was displaying her plates and swinging her tail, as though daring the predator for a rematch. Soon, Katana the Baryonyx turned tail back for the jungle, leaving Barbara and her herd in peace.

"Looks like she's gonna look for breakfast elsewhere."said the Kratt in green before glancing at the sun above them. "And it looks like we should get moving if we wanna be at the Visitors Center by noon." Reactivating his Falcon suit, he took off , gaining more elevation with each wing beat before he was gliding right over the ginkgo tree where the Stegosaurs grazed. "Let's fly!"

The rest of the party took that as their cue to continue moving, passing the herd as they resumed their business of eating. "It is safe to say that the debate over the function of a Stegosaurus' plates is now academic."remarked the paleontologist as he resumed his lead, Jimmy and the kids not far behind him, and Martin taking up the rear. "Don't mind us, Barbara. We're just passing through."

 ** _****One Hour Later...****_**

"How..much..further?"asked JZ, panting with each step he took.

"I'm tired."whined Tim, feeling the pangs of exhaustion.

"And hungry."added his sister.

"Just hang in there, guys. According to Chris, we're almost there."

"The Visitors Center should be just about a mile beyond that rise. If we keep–" but Alan was cut off as he looked skywards, noticing that the green falcon was now circling above them, signaling the troop to stop.

"We need to get out of here!"warned Chris, still circling over their heads, but close enough to be heard.

"What's wrong, bro? Seen a predator?"

"No, a large herd of dinos three quarters of a mile away, and closing fast!"

"Description? What did they look like?"asked the bone-digger.

"Twenty feet long, nine, ten feet tall, long legs, and an ostrichlike build."

"Ostrichlike build?"pondered the Kratt in blue. " I know who this is, I just can't place the name. It was something like Galli– galli-uh–"

"Gallimimus?"offered Tim.

"Thanks, Timmy."

"Galli-who now?"questioned a confused Jimmy.

"Gallimimus,"answered Alan. "Mongolia, late Cretaceous. Omnivore, distinct ostrichlike shape, one of the fastest–"

Before long, shrill shrieks could be heard, followed by dozens of thundering feet just around the next bend before the herd came into view. They were as Chris made them out to be; swift and graceful, not unlike a flock of ostriches on the African plains.

"Look at the wheeling– the uniform direction change!"said Grant, mesmerized by the spectacle. "Just like a flock of birds evading a predator!"added the Kratt in blue, just as fascinated.

"I uhh hate to burst your bubble," interrupted the pilot, " but they're flocking this way!" With that, and a girlish scream, he turned and ran in the opposite direction of the stampede, the kids following suit. The paleontologist and the creature adventurer were brought out of their trance by a raptorial screech, followed by Chris' voice which said, "Run you fools!"

Without another moment's delay, the pair ran like hell in the direction the others had taken just as the Gallimimus herd came thundering at their heels. However, Martin's foot stumbled upon a stone in his path. Just as the Kratt in blue expected to crash head first on the ground at the mercy of dozens of stampeding feet, instead –"Gotcha bro!" he felt himself being lifted by a pair of talons on his backpack, and looking to his sides, saw the massive wings of Chris gliding over the panicked herd.

"Thanks for the save!"

Utilizing their power of flight, the two creature adventurers met up with the rest of the group behind a fallen tree at the edge of the forest, where they all crouched down to avoid the clawed feet leaping overhead, sending dirt and debris flying. The entire herd eventually passed, prompting them to peer over their wooden fortress.

"Something was chasing them."said Martin, stating the obvious.

"But what?" Jimmy soon got his answer as a familiar, thunderous roar was heard somewhere within the trees ahead, making everyone's blood run cold. _Tyrannosaurus Wrecksy was on the prowl._

Dr. Grant and the Kratts scanned the undergrowth for any sign of the T-rex, until the predatory dinosaur erupted out of the tree line, scattering the Gallimimus herd, throwing them into disarray, causing the swift omnivores to run in all directions. The whole party bore witness to Wrecksy's ferocity as she kicked into overdrive, running down a straggling Gallimimus and sinking her teeth into the animal's flanks. The Gallimimus' agonized cries were cut short as the Tyrannosaurus shook her quarry violently, pulling out a massive chunk of flesh in the process. The ostrichlike dinosaur never stood a chance.

The paleontologist, creature adventurers and the Dino-fanatic half rose to their feet, staring in wonder as Wrecksy devoured her prey.

"I wanna go now."whispered a horrified Lex.

"I second that!"added Jimmy, equally frightened, if not more so. But their pleas fell on deaf ears.

"Just look at how it eats!"said Alan.

"Please!"

"Bet you'll never look at birds the same way again." Grant remarked.

"She's tearing away massive chunks of flesh and bone before swallowing them whole!"noted Martin.

"You know Martin, it's estimated that a T-rex could rip away five hundred pounds of flesh in a single bite, and those jaws can evert over eight thousand pounds per square inch!"

"Eight thousand—that's even more bite force than a Saltwater croc's, which is only more than three thousand!"exclaimed the green avian, wide eyed.

"And their bite is the strongest in the Animal Kingdom!"added the Kratt in blue, just as amazed. "That explains how she was able to demolish a car with little effort."

Wrecksy paused in the middle of her meal and blared a loud, unearthly roar. In their excitement, neither the bone-digger nor the creature adventurers had realized that they were directly upwind of the tyrannosaur's keen nose.

"Let's go!"whispered JZ. Upon realizing their position, the three men exchanged sheepish looks before nodding in agreement. "Fun's over."murmured Martin.

"Okay. Keep low and back away slowly."instructed the Kratt in falcon form. "That roar was only a warning." That being said, the troop withdrew slowly away from the feasting , all except Tim who stayed behind. "Look at all its blood!"

At least until he was pulled away from the scene by the Kratt in blue..


	21. Close Call

In the emergency bunker, Aviva spent her time tending to Dr. Malcolm's wounds as the mathematician laid on the table, with Mr. Hammond to assist her whenever his help was needed. But no matter how hard she tried to push them out, the inventor had a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong. Mr. Arnold and Koki should've been back by now. Presently she heard the door open and down the steps came Ellie and Muldoon, returning from a search. The inventor left her station to ask them about any news, it was then that the paleobotanist addressed the elephant in the room. "Something's happened. Something is wrong."

"I'll say,"replied Aviva. "Koki hasn't answered her Creaturepod."

Hammond spoke, still feeling the obligation of the host." This is just a delay, that's all this is. All major theme parks have delays. When they opened Disneyland in 1956, nothing worked."

"But, John. If the Pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don't eat the tourists."countered the injured mathematician.

"I can't wait anymore. Something went wrong. I'm going to go get the power back on."stated Ellie firmly.

"You can't just stroll down the road, you know,"said Muldoon, making his way towards a steel cabinet.

"Bob, let's not be too hasty."said Hammond, glancing at the clock. "They've only been gone–"

"–especially not alone."added the game warden.

"She's not going alone."piped up Aviva, laying her medical equipment on the table before joining Ellie's side. "I'm going with her."

"Count me in."added Muldoon, now armed with a semiautomatic shotgun. The paleobotanist nodded.

After a while, the entrepreneur returned to the table with a set of blue prints from a nearby file cabinet, spreading it out on top of Malcolm, almost crushing his leg.

"Sorry."apologized the old man before addressing the trio gathered around the table, "This isn't like switching on a kitchen light, but I think I can follow this and talk you through it."

"No problem."replied Aviva with a wink as Ellie plucked a couple of walkie-talkies from a shelf before shoving one in her belt.

"But you know, I should really be the one to go."said the old man.

"Why?"asked the inventor and the paleobotanist simultaneously.

"Well, because you're– I'm a–" Hammond stuttered, earning blank looks from the pair.

"Look," deadpanned Ellie, handing him other electronic. "We can discuss sexism in a survival situation when we get back."said Aviva, rolling her eyes, before the paleobotanist continued, "You just take us through this step by step. I'm channel two." With that the two women followed Muldoon up the stairs and out of the bunker.

Stepping into the light, Aviva noticed the change in atmosphere, a familiar feeling as though the compound belonged to the jungle rather than civilization. She slowly trailed behind Ellie and Muldoon, the latter carrying his firearm at the ready, walking down a pathway leading to the maintenance shed. Soon they emerged from the foliage into a familiar clearing: the Velociraptor paddock. The pen stood quietly, the abandoned guard tower looming over it like a haunted house. Muldoon slowed down, Ellie and Aviva right beside him. Their eyes widened in horror at what they saw: the fences that once contained the formidable flesh-eaters had been torn to shreds, leaving behind a hole wide enough for them to escape.

"Oh my God."whispered Ellie.

"Ay, Dios mio."murmured Aviva.

"The shutdown must've turned off all the fences."muttered the game warden, voice barely audible. His greatest fear had been realized. "Goddamn it! Even Nedry knew better than to mess with the raptor fence."

Squatting down, he spied three sets of trackways. They head off in different directions, but all of them led to the surrounding undergrowth.

"C'mon, this way."said Muldoon, motioning for the women to follow him through a particular trail.

"I can see the shed from here!"whispered the paleobotanist after a while. "We can make it if we run!"

"No. We can't."replied the game warden.

"Why not?"questioned Aviva.

"Because we're being hunted."said Muldoon quietly, gesturing ahead of them. "From the bushes straight ahead."

Aviva turned very slowly to face the bushes. At first, she doesn't see anything, but then there was something faint, and the inventor's blood ran cold as she spied a shadow that seemed to move in the foliage, rustling the leaves.

"It's all right."

"Like hell it is!"remarked Ellie dryly as Muldoon fumbled through his pockets, searching for something.

"Miss Corcovado,"said the game warden, withdrawing a sack from his pocket, handing it to Aviva. "Take this. I do believe it'll come in handy."he added with a wink before slowly raising his weapon over his shoulder. "Now run, both of you, towards the shed. I've got her." With that, Muldoon slowly advanced towards the bush, shotgun at the ready.

"Go, now!"

The pair didn't need to be told twice. They ran as fast as they could, flying across the trail at top speed. Though Ellie stumbled and tripped a couple of times over fallen tree limbs, Aviva went over every obstacle with little difficulty, courtesy of her outdoors training with the Kratt Bros. After helping her fallen friend, the inventor neared the maintenance shed, with the paleobotanist not far behind, neither of them looking back. They reached the door, blasting it open before slamming it shut again with haste. The pair then paused for a minute or two to catch much needed breaths.

"Mr. Arnold?"called Ellie, once her breathing was normal. No answer.

"Koki?" called Aviva, but they were greeted by their own echoes.

The paleobotanist chose that moment to flip the switch to her walkie-talkie on. "We're in."

Soon enough, Hammond's gruff voice was heard on the other end. "Good. Okay– now ahead of you should be a metal stairway. Go down it."

Flashlight in hand, the two made their way down the steps, slowly being shrouded in darkness. Before long, they approached a labyrinth of pipes, ducts, and electrical work on every side.

"After twenty or thirty feet, you'll come to a T-junction. Take a left."

At this point, Aviva, being more familiar with electrical structures, led the way. Ellie followed. As they made their way through the tunnel, the building's silence was broken by a loud ring. This startled the women, until the inventor realized it was just her Creaturepod ringing. Aviva answered, and a holographic screen appeared, revealing Martin and Chris, wearing their characteristic smiles.

"Hi, Aviva!"chorused the creature adventurers in unison.

"Guys! You scared us. And where are you?"

"Oh, we're right by the perimeter fence, trying to figure out a way to get to the other side, _without_ busting it open with T-rex Powers."Here Chris cast an accusatory glance at his brother, who smiled sheepishly, raising his hands in defense.

"How're Alan and the kids?"inquired Ellie.

"Oh, they're fine,"replied Martin, turning the Creaturepod to reveal the paleontologist grabbing hold of the fence cables, shaking violently, screaming in pain as the electricity coursed through his body. In the background, the screams of Jimmy Z and the children could be heard.

"Oh my God!"screamed the paleobotanist in horror. To her surprise though, Aviva only rolled her eyes, wearing a smirk that said, _Nice try._ Ellie looked back to the screen to see Alan, completely unharmed, turn around with a wicked smile. Soon enough, the hysterical laughs of the brothers could be heard, and the paleontologist calmly made his way towards the creature adventurers.

"What can I say? These two grow on you." This earned an unamused look from Ellie. "That was not funny."

"Nice try, bros. But the power's not on."said Aviva, still smirking. Then her face turned serious as a notion hit her. "But we're not gonna turn it back on while you guys are still stuck there."

"Don't worry, Aviva. We'll call you as soon as we're on the other side."reassured Chris. "And _no_ , Martin. We're _not_ gonna bust it open."

"Aww man!"complained Martin in the background, earning chuckles from the inventor and the Kratt in green.

"Please be careful."said Aviva. To Chris she added, "I love you."

"I know."came the reply, before he cautioned, "But don't turn on the fences until after we call you." With a chuckle, he added," The last thing I want is to be lit up like a Christmas tree." Martin and Alan could be heard laughing in the background.

The inventor rolled her eyes. "I won't." With that, the holographic screen disappeared. The two women continued on their way through the mechanical maze.

"He seems like a nice guy,"remarked the paleobotanist after a moment of silence.

"Understatement of the century."replied Aviva with a small smile before the pair heard low, staticky voices coming from the two-way radio. Ellie picked it up. "Ellie, Aviva. Are you two all right?"asked Hammond, concern clear in his voice.

"Everything's fine."replied the paleobotanist. "Alan and the Kratt Brothers just called to let us know they've reached the perimeter fence."

"Marvelous!"exclaimed the old man before his sense of concern returned. "Have you reached the control panel yet?"

"Not yet, Mr. Hammond. And we're not turning the power back on until they call us again, once they're over the fence."

"Here we are!"announced Aviva, some distance away. Ellie soon joined her friend, stopping in an area enclosed by metal screening, surrounded by black pipes, illuminated by a light from the ceiling. Inside was a large, gray control panel, labeled with a high voltage sign. Making their way through the mesh gate, they head toward the gray box.

"Okay– we're here. What do we do now?"

"Now, ladies, you can't just throw the main switch by hand. You'll have to get the charge first. There is a flat, gray lever you have to pump four times in order to do that."

After all was said and done, the Tortuga inventor announced, "Charged."

Before the CEO of InGen could give more instructions, Aviva's Creaturepod rang once more. She answered immediately, and soon enough the holographic screen appeared to reveal Chris. Gone was the humor from a short while ago, only this time, he wore a look of fear and worry.

"Aviva! You have to turn the power back on!"he said, great urgency in his voice.

"What's wrong? Are you all across the perimeter fence?"

"No time to explain–Katana!" Here, the Kratt in green was interrupted by a guttural roar and a terrified scream from Martin. "Chris, help! She's got my leg!"

"I'm coming, bro!"yelled Chris over his shoulder before turning his attention back to his girlfriend. "Turn everything back on! _Now!"_ Nothing more was said as the holographic screen faded once more.

Sheer panic overtook Aviva as she practically yelled, "What's the next step, John?! My friends are in danger!"

"Well, under the words 'contact position', there's a round, green button that says 'push to close.' Push it."

Finding said button, the inventor pushed it without another moment's delay. Once that operation was finished, a column of twelve white, indicator lights came to life on the panel. They were clearly labeled, each one for a different area in the park.

"The red buttons turn on the individual park systems. Switch them on."

The pair wasted little time switching each and every switch on the panel, finally coming to the button labeled 'Perimeter Fence.'

"I don't know who you are Katana, but you're _not_ having my friends for lunch."murmured Aviva, flipping the last switch. Eventually, the gloom of the maintenance shed was illuminated by banks of fluorescent lights from above.

"Mr. Hammond, Aviva, I think we're back in business!"said Ellie cheerfully.

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling shriek caught the pair's attention, and to their horror, a huge reptilian head standing six feet above the ground, armed with razor-sharp teeth, came from behind the control panel! Bloody Mary the Velociraptor!

The raptor slashed, taking a lunging sweep at Ellie, but got stuck, her feet tangled in the mass of pipes.

"Run!"cried Aviva, and the two women quickly made their way out of the aisle. The Velociraptor managed to untangle herself and give chase, just as Aviva slammed the mesh gate closed. Mary banged against the metal barrier with much force, sending the inventor falling to the ground.

"Aviva!"screamed Ellie, rushing back to help her friend, pushing the door back as the raptor tried to force her way out. Aviva quickly recovered from the fall, and joining the paleobotanist, they manage to close the door with their combined strength. Enraged at missing her intended quarry, the Velociraptor charged once more against the mesh gate, sending the two against the wall. Ellie felt a jolt as she felt a hand on her shoulder before heaving a sigh of relief upon recognizing the hand's owner.

"Oh, Mr. Arnold."

But the paleobotanist's relief was shot lived as she heard a terrified scream escape the inventor's lips. She turned around, and with a gasp of horror, she dropped the severed arm on the concrete floor. However, in backing away, Ellie inadvertently strayed too close to the mesh gate where she was greeted by Bloody Mary breathing down her neck before being pulled back by Aviva. The pair were paralyzed by fear as the voracious predator slowly tore away at the metal barrier with little effort. Suddenly, a bright fluorescent light was shining in the duo's faces, temporarily blinding them and their assailant, followed by a familiar voice that yelled, "What are you two waiting for? _Run!_ "

Without further delay, Aviva and Ellie ran in the direction of the light, and surely enough, they were greeted by the familiar form of Koki, flashlight in hand. "C'mon, this way!" No time was wasted as Ellie and Aviva rejoined their missing friend, who then threw the flashlight at the raptor's face, momentarily stunning the creature, giving them a head start.

Urged on by sheer terror, the trio sprinted through the tunnel, not even daring to look over their shoulders as they attempted to escape their pursuer. As they reached the stairs, Aviva could've sworn that Bloody Mary was in pursuit, for she could hear the clinking and clanging her footsteps made as the predator was racing through the very path they had taken. The door opened ahead, and the light from the outside was almost blinding, but a welcome relief.

"Shut the door!"hollered the computer whizz the moment they all made it out of the dragon's lair. Ellie and Aviva quickly obliged, and slammed the metal door with all their might, just as the Velociraptor's head snarled from its place near the top of the stairway. Then came a loud thud against the door, and nothing more. Bloody Mary was knocked out cold by the impact.

With the dinosaur secured, the three women collapsed to the ground, panting, shaken and exhausted, but alive.

"That was a close call."remarked the paleobotanist once she regained her breath.

"I'll say."panted Aviva, heart still racing from the chase, shivering at the thought of what could've been. Then, a thought occurred to the inventor.

"Wait a minute. Koki. That raptor was down there the whole time." Her longtime friend nodded, confirming the inventor's suspicions. "How were you able to escape?"

The technician heaved a sigh before she answered,"Mr. Arnold and I barely entered the shed when Mary snuck up on us and attacked." If they hadn't just been attacked by the deadly carnivore, Aviva and Ellie would've found the name funny. "She got Arnold, and I would've been next if I hadn't made it to the storage room. I hid there for half an hour until something else got her attention. And that's when you guys came in. And I'm sorry I couldn't call; my Creaturepod got destroyed in the attack."

"That's okay. The only thing that matters is that you're alright."murmured Aviva, her voice thick with emotion, before wrapping her friend in a tight embrace. Ellie soon joined– at least until Koki complained, "Okay! I feel the love, now let go of me so I can breathe!"

"Sorry."replied the pair sheepishly, releasing their grip.

"At least we're safe now–" But Ellie's statement was interrupted by the crack of a shotgun, followed by an agonized scream coming from the foliage somewhere ahead of them, causing chills to creep up their spines. The Velociraptors had gotten the better of the game warden.

"All in favor for running to the bunker?"asked Aviva after a moment or two of desperate silence. Without awaiting an answer, the inventor took the lead with the others following in tow. The trio ran back for the safety of the underground fortress as fast as their legs could carry them, not daring to look over their shoulders. The power may be back, but they were certainly not out of the woods yet.


	22. Brush with Death

After the Gallimimus stampede and their second encounter with Wrecksy the Tyrannosaurus rex, Martin, Chris, Alan, Jimmy, Lex and Tim continued their westerly trek. After another hour's travel, they reached a jungle clearing and ahead was their destination: the perimeter fence that surrounded the main compound, marked very clearly with danger signs.

The moment the latter deactivated his Peregrine Falcon form, Alan and Chris eyed the fence cautiously while Martin and JZ safeguarded the children in the rear. Using his brother's Creaturepod, the Kratt in green gave the barrier a quick scan, confirming his suspicions. Results came back negative.

"The power's still out."

"That's a relief."replied the paleontologist, before asking, "Big question is how are we supposed to get across?"

"Oh I know how," responded Martin, walking up to the fence confidently, a smirk on his features. "With _T-rex Power!_ "

"Hold it!"interrupted Chris, blocking his older brother's advance towards the fence. "First we gotta call Aviva, let her know we're here." The Kratt in green then wore a familiar devious look that Martin knew all too well. Soon he caught on to what was on Chris' mind and wore an identical look on his own face before the two called out simultaneously: "Oh Alan!"

With nothing better to do, the bone-digger casually walked up to the scheming pair before the Kratt in blue whispered an idea to his ear, causing a smug grin to slowly crawl on his features. As soon as the plan was arranged, Chris dialed to call his girlfriend. The other two quickly went to their places, Martin by Chris' side and Grant moving towards the fence, much to the children's confusion.

"What's with them?"whispered Lex.

"Knowing the Kratt bros, something crazy."replied the Tortuga pilot slightly under his breath.

"Shh, shh.. Here she comes."whispered Martin, trying to hold a snicker. Before long Aviva's face appeared on the holographic screen.

"Hi Aviva!"chorused the two creature adventurers in unison, exchanging knowing glances.

"Guys!"exclaimed the inventor, mildly startled. "You scared us. And where are you?"

"Oh, we're right by the perimeter fence, trying to figure out a way to get to the other side," at this point Chris cast Martin a mock glare. " _without_ busting it open with T-rex Powers." Martin simply threw up his hands in defense. The bros then noticed that Aviva wasn't alone; Ellie Sattler was right beside her. At this point, Chris was starting to have second thoughts about their diabolical plan.

"How're Alan and the kids?"asked the paleobotanist, worry evident in her tone. Before the Kratt in green could reply, his brother spoke up, unaware of his sibling's conflicting feelings.

"Oh, they're fine,"replied Martin nonchalantly, turning the Creaturepod to reveal the paleontologist grabbing hold of the fence cables, shaking violently, pretending to scream in pain as the nonexistent electricity coursed through his body. Behind them, the brothers heard the terrified screams of Jimmy and Lex, followed by Ellie's horrified shriek.

"Oh my God!"

However, Chris noticed that Aviva simply smirked, rolling her eyes. She wasn't fooled.

It wasn't long before the bone-digger turned around, with an evil grin on his face. At this point the Kratt Brothers lost their cool, howling with laughter, clutching their sides as the paleontologist strode up between them, arm wrapped around each shoulder. "What can I say? These two grow on you."

"That was not funny."deadpanned the paleobotanist, clearly not amused.

"Nice try, bros. But the power's not on."said Aviva, still smirking, before her face turned serious. "But we're _not_ gonna turn it back on while you guys are still stuck there."

"Don't worry, Aviva. We'll call you as soon as we're on the other side."reassured Chris. "And _no_ , Martin. We're not gonna bust it open." To emphasize his point, he elbowed his brother in the ribs.

"Aww man!" pouted Martin, earning chuckles from the couple.

"Please be careful."said Aviva. "I love you."

"I know."replied the Kratt in green before he cautioned, "But don't turn on the fences until after we call you." Chuckling, he added," The last thing I want is to be lit up like a Christmas tree." Martin and Alan roared with laughter at his dark humor.

"I won't."came the reply. With that, the holographic screen faded. A long pause. Except for Martin's shortened laughs, not a sound was heard.

"That's some girl you got there, Chris."complimented Alan after regaining his breath.

"Tell me about it."replied Chris dreamily, blush adorning his features.

"MK's got a point. Why can't we just tear the fence down?"questioned Jimmy after another period of silence.

"Think about it, Jimmy."retorted Chris. "If we left a T-rex-sized gap in the fence, there's no telling what other creatures would follow."

"Ohh. Right. Didn't think about that."

Martin heaved a sigh of defeat. "You win."

"If we can't go through the fence, then we'll have to go over it."concluded the paleontologist, glancing up at the twenty-foot obstacle.

Before any more could be said, the jungle's silence was shattered by an earth-shaking bellow far in the distance. _Wrecksy was on the hunt once more._

Thinking fast Martin pushed the paw print button on his CPS before being enveloped in a bright blue glow. When the glow subsided, where Martin once stood now towered a blue Tyrannosaurus rex.

"Everyone hop on!"roared Martin Rex, lowering his five-foot head to allow the others to climb atop his back. Feeling that his passengers were secured, the blue theropod stood almost fully erect, once more forming a makeshift ladder, his nose reaching the top of the fence twenty feet off the ground, while using his tail as a counterbalance, steadying his massive bulk.

"Thought I'd give you all a head start."added the Kratt in T-rex form with a wink, standing perfectly still as the others disembarked to climb down on the other side of the perimeter fence. Only Chris remained on Martin's head. "And no, dude. I'm not gonna break down the fence. Can you help me deactivate? These arms are useless!"

Concealing a chuckle, the Kratt in green nodded before he climbed down the fence beside his Dino-brother's chest, hitting the deactivation button. Once that transformation was complete, he then joined Martin on the ground. The two exchanged knowing glances.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"asked Martin.

"Oh, I'm totally thinking what you're thinking," replied Chris before adding, "though I doubt you're gonna win."

"Race you to the top!"exclaimed the pair simultaneously as they began the twenty-foot climb up the fence, each trying to outpace the other. "Last one is a rotten crocodile egg!" Thanks to his superior climbing skills, Chris managed to reach the top before Martin reached the halfway point. Taking a second to glance down at his struggling brother, he playfully taunted, "What's the matter, bro? Had a little too much chocolat–" but he froze upon hearing a rustle among the foliage behind them, and squinting, Chris swore he saw something moving within the dense undergrowth.

"Hey, Martin?"asked the Kratt in green, lowering his voice. "Ever get the feeling we're being watched?"

"Sure. Everyone else is cheering us on from the other side."

But looking down, Chris noted that Dr. Grant and the others were frantically waving their arms, and listening closely, the creature adventurer realized that their shouts weren't yells of encouragement, but words of warning.

"You two need to get out of there!"he heard the paleontologist bellowing below them. It was only when Tim screamed, "Katana!" that the Kratts turned around to see the Baryonyx slowly advancing towards them, eying them hungrily. _Oy vey_.

"Climb Martin!"hollered the Kratt in green. With a yelp, the older Kratt climbed as he had never climbed in his life. But Martin's sudden burst triggered Katana's prey response, and with a loud, guttural trumpet, she charged straight for him!

"Watch out!"

The Baryonyx's crocodilelike jaws snapped just inches away from Martin's foot. "That was _too_ close."remarked the Kratt in blue before he resumed climbing.

After wrapping his legs firmly around the top cable, Chris lowered himself, stretching out with his right hand, hoping it was within his brother's reach. "Grab my hand!"

But just as Martin's hand made contact with Chris', the older Kratt felt something pulling him back. He looked down, and to his horror, he could see that Katana had a firm grip on his right boot. The Kratt in green pulled with all his strength, but the hungry Baryonyx proved to be stronger. The tug-of-war lasted for half a minute before the theropod dinosaur shook her head, wrenching her prey from Chris' grip.

"No! Martin!"cried the younger Kratt seeing his brother fall flat on his back, at the mercy of the thirty-foot carnivore, her salivating jaws came slowly closer, sniffing, savoring the scent of the meal to come. Martin shielded his eyes, waiting for the final blow as Katana slowly raised her razor-sharp talons.

But the blow never came. Only a strong gust of wind greeted Martin's face. Hearing loud shrieks of anger, he forced his eyes open to behold his attacker thrashing and shaking violently, with Chris hanging on for dear life on her face, his hands covering the dinosaur's eyes.

"Martin!"yelled Chris over the deafening din of the struggling dinosaur. "Go! Get out of here! I'll keep Katana busy."

"Are you crazy?! I'm not leaving you, bro!"

"Just go! I'll catch up!" The last part was said with a wink.

Martin nodded before reluctantly making his way back to the perimeter fence. But he didn't get very far as Jimmy called out from the opposite side, "Martin, behind you!"

Without wasting time in questioning, the creature adventurer quickly spun around before ducking down, avoiding a claw swipe that would've taken his head. In her attempt to shake off Chris, Katana's talons swung frantically, unknowingly slashing a wide gap through the smaller interconnected wires around the wider cables. Seizing the opportunity, Martin swiftly made his way through the breach, finally ending up on the other side. "Thanks, Katana!"hollered the Kratt in blue cheerfully before he shouted to the opposite side, "Chris! I'm in!"

Seeing that his brother was out of harm's way, Chris remained clinging to Katana's massive head until the thrashing Baryonyx's back was facing the fence. Perfect. Once the time was right, the creature adventurer loosened his grip before attempting to rise on his feet, careful not to lose his balance on the living platform beneath him. Regaining her vision and feeling that the intruder's grasp loosened from her face, Katana reared back, sending her unwanted burden flying– which was just what the Kratt in green was counting on.

The force of the toss hurled Chris well over the twenty-foot barrier like a green arrow before he performed several flips in mid air. He finished his stunt by landing on his feet in his signature pose.

"Whoa.."murmured Tim.

"Awesome."said Lex.

"You little show-off."remarked the Kratt in blue before clapping his hand on Chris' shoulder. "I'll give that one an eight."

"I'll give you ten."added Jimmy before addressing the bone-digger. "What do you say, Dr. Grant?"

"Nine point eight."said Alan before he added, "Now I do think it's time for Mrs. Corcovado to turn the power back o–oh my God!"

Everyone turned to the paleontologist's line of sight, where to their horror, their eyes were greeted by the relentless predatory dinosaur attempting to break through the opening she created, jaws snapping savagely as she slowly squeezed her enormous bulk through the ever growing space. Without wasting another moment, the Kratt in green rapidly dialed the inventor. To his relief, she immediately answered.

"Aviva!"yelled Chris with dire urgency. "You have to turn the power back on!"

"What's wrong? Are you all across the perimeter fence?"

"No time to explain–Katana!" The air was pierced by said Baryonyx's roar followed by a scream from Martin.

"Chris, help! She's got my leg!"

"I'm coming, bro!"yelled Chris over his shoulder before turning his attention back to his girlfriend. "Turn everything back on! _Now!_ "

He hung up, and raced over to aid his fallen brother, once more lying flat in his back, trying in vain to escape as Katana held him in a vicelike grip with her jaws, attempting to drag her victim back inside the paddock. He was shortly followed by Dr. Grant. Taking both of Martin's hands, Chris pulled with all his strength while the dinosaur expert attempted to pry the carnivore's jaws open. But to no avail.

At the same time, Jimmy, filled with a sudden burst of courage, began whacking Katana's head with a stout tree branch he had found lying nearby. But the Baryonyx simply ignored those blows as she continued to drag her intended prey. She hadn't eaten all morning, and she wasn't about to let a few hits from a stick cost her her meal. JZ continued his assault on Katana's cranium until– _SNAP!_ The business end of his weapon was sent flying in a cloud of wooden shrapnel.

"It's no use!"lamented the pilot after his branch snapped in two.

"Katana's grip is too strong."muttered the paleontologist, still trying to loosen said dinosaur's grip.

Just then, a loud siren blared overhead. The power was coming back on. _Time was running out!_

The Kratt in green resumed his struggle, unwilling to let his brother meet the gruesome fate that awaited him. He shut his eyes at the very thought, tears threatening to burst, when an idea struck him.

 _Why hadn't we thought of that before?_

"Martin! Creature Pop Quiz!"exclaimed Chris.

"Are you crazy?!"yelled Alan incredulously.

"Umm.. bro? In case you haven't noticed: _I'm about to become a dinosaur's lunch!_ Now's not the time for a pop quiz!"remarked the Kratt in blue sarcastically.

"Trust me!"pleaded Chris. "Here it goes: How do you escape a crocodile's jaws?"

"How do you escape a croc's—" thought Martin out loud before realization hit him. _Of course._ "You go for its eyes!"

Without wasting another moment, Grant struck one of Katana's large eyes with a closed fist. The Baryonyx immediately recoiled in pain, releasing her hold on Martin's leg as she backed off, briefly disoriented. The four men retreated back away from the barrier,

"Thank you so much, you guys!"exclaimed Martin rather emotionally, pulling the other three into a spine-cracking hug. Lex and Tim, who had been watching from afar, soon joined the group hug. "After saving us multiple times, it's the least we could do."replied Alan through clenched teeth, for he felt as though he broke a few ribs.

"Umm..guys?"piped up Jimmy. "I hate to be the one breaking up this emotional moment, but look!"

All of a sudden, the blaring of the emergency sirens was drowned out by an equally loud roar coming from the other side. Everyone looked to where the redhead was pointing to see Katana at the edge of the clearing, snarling savagely, jaws salivating, her clawed, three-toed feet raking against the forest floor before the hungry Baryonyx came charging straight towards them!

"Persistent thing, isn't she?"remarked the Kratt in blue.

"I guess she really likes your taste."replied the Tortuga pilot, earning a deadpan stare from Martin.

"C'mon, Aviva."murmured Chris under his breath as the charging theropod came closer and closer.

As the huge theropod neared the last couple of yards, she bellowed a deafening roar that could be heard over the sirens. Katana's jaws had barely touched the severed cables when with a loud, frightening buzz, the perimeter fence suddenly came alive. The group fell back while sparks were sent flying everywhere as the Baryonyx was literally thrown a distance from the barrier before she crashed to the ground, motionless. The power had returned to the park.

Soon, the sirens ceased their clamor. Except for the humming of electricity once again flowing through the fence, silence reigned. For the longest time, not a word was spoken among the six survivors.

"Is she dead?"asked Lex, breaking the silent spell. She got her answer upon seeing Katana regaining consciousness, shaking her head as she slowly stumbled back on her feet.

"By the looks of it, Lex, she's fine."replied Chris, recovering from his shock. "Guess only her pride had been bruised."

"Shocking."remarked Jimmy Z, earning a chuckle from Tim. The boy then glanced over to the Baryonyx, feeling a pang of sympathy for the animal.

"Say, Jimmy?"asked the Dino-fanatic. "Do you still have some pizza left over?"

"Sure, little man. I got two boxes here. Pepperoni and anchovies I think."answered the Tortuga pilot, withdrawing a couple of boxes from his pack. "Perfect."said Tim as he took the food from Jimmy's hands before slowly making his way toward the breach in the fence, close to the massive predator. Once he was only a few feet away, he outstretched his arms towards the opening, pizza boxes in hand, deaf to the protests and shouts of warning from his sister and the paleontologist behind him. He held his ground.

The odor of the pizza immediately caught Katana's attention, and the theropod strode slowly towards the gap, before pausing briefly. Soon hunger won over caution as she made her way towards the source of the smell. Being careful not to touch the cables, the Baryonyx slunk her long, narrow snout through the opening, hesitating as she curiously sniffed the boxes just inches away.

 _Smells like fish_ , thought Tim as he felt Katana's hot breath assaulting his face before she suddenly lunged forward, snatching Tim's offering in her jaws, pulling her prize back to her side of the fence. Utilizing claws as sharp as her namesake, Katana made short work of the cardboard boxes, tearing through them as though they were paper before gulping down the tasty contents inside.

Tim was about to turn back when to his surprise, he felt a soft nudge behind him. He turned his head where he was greeted by Katana's foul breath as the Baryonyx nudged him once more, warbling a friendly chuff, earning a giggle from the boy.

"You're welcome, girl."replied Tim, patting the carnivore's snout without hesitation. Having had her appetizer, the theropod dinosaur disappeared back into the jungle's thick, green curtains, hot on the trail of her main course.

Turning back, Tim was greeted by the bewildered expressions of the others, jaws dropped, eyes wide open. "What? She was hungry."said the boy with a shrug.

The first to recover from their shocked trance were the Kratt Brothers. They walked up to Tim, wide smiles adorning their features. There was a brief pause before Chris finally spoke,"It always does our hearts good to see kids treating animals with that level of kindness and compassion as you've just shown."

"Especially towards a predator that nearly made an appetizer outta me!"remarked the Kratt in blue with a slight shudder, thinking of what could've been. He then ruffled Tim's curly hair playfully. Tim simply shrugged, saying, "Well, the predators have to eat too. Besides, she's no monster. She was only doing what she was born to do.."

"How would you like to be part of the Wild Kratts kids?"asked the two creature adventurers simultaneously. At this point, Tim's eyes flew wide open, heart racing with excitement. "Really? Me? A Wild Kratts kid?" The brothers simply nodded.

"I'd love to!"exclaimed the ten-year old, quickly embracing the pair, surprising them, before a thought struck him. "Are you okay, Martin?"he asked in concern, noticing the older Kratt slightly wincing in pain.

"Oh, me? I'm fine. No, really. Nothing's broken, though my leg feels a bit sore." With that, he lightly massaged the area where Katana had bitten him.

"To be expected,"added Dr. Grant, joining them. "Unlike tyrannosaurs, the narrow jaws of the Baryonyx didn't allow for a powerful bite. Their bite is probably more similar to that of a gharial's."

"What's that?"asked the twelve-year old hacker.

"The gharial is a type of crocodilian native to India, known by its narrow snout."answered Chris. "Unlike its crocodile cousins, the gharial has a weak bite as it specializes in hunting fish rather than larger animals." Lex nodded in understanding before she asked, "Does that mean Martin's gonna be okay?"

"Well I'm no physician, but I'm absolutely positive that he's just fine."responded the paleontologist after a quick analysis.

"Besides, he _did_ fight a T-rex and live. Being bit by a Dino-croc is nothing. I say he's A-okay. "added Jimmy, giving the Kratt in blue a slap on the back, causing him to faceplant to the ground. "Sorry."said the pilot sheepishly before he and the others were blinded by a blue light as Martin chose that moment to reactivate into his form. "That's okay, JZ. No hard feelings."replied the Kratt in Dino form before bellowing a loud roar as he addressed his five companions nearly twenty feet below him.

"Everyone hop on. We're getting out of here."


	23. The Reunion

"Hello?" Alan's voice echoed through the Visitors Center's main lobby. Followed by Lex and Tim, he returned from the Hall of Prehistory after an unsuccessful search for anyone who may have stayed during the storm the night before. He looked around the lobby that was once full of activity not long ago. Now it was as empty as the dinosaur skeletons that posed motionlessly above their heads.

"Aviva? Koki?" Soon, two more voices could be heard from upstairs as Martin and Chris returned from their search around the halls. Once they were at the bottom of the stairs, they gave their full report.

"They're not in the Theatre or the gift shop."said Chris.

"No one in the lab."added Martin.

"Where's Jimmy?"asked Tim, taking notice of the redhead's absence. The Kratt Brothers exchanged knowing glances before Martin spoke up," There's one place we haven't checked yet."

 _ *****Three Minutes Later*****_

The group entered the restaurant, where at the closest table in front of them, sat Jimmy eating a full platter of food before him.

"Told you he'd be here."said the two creature adventurers triumphantly. Heaving a sigh, the paleontologist reluctantly withdrew a ten dollar bill from his pocket and handed it over to the pair, earning muffled giggles from the children behind them. He had lost a bet. Noticing that he was no longer alone, the Tortuga pilot's eyes were cast in their direction before he said, mouth full, "You guys have definitely gotta try this."

With that, the Murphy siblings raced over the all-you-can-eat table, quickly piling food on their trays. Martin was about to join them before he was stopped by Chris's hand on his shoulder. "Sorry, bro. Lunch is gonna have to wait."

"We're gonna have to find the others."said Alan before he added,"Jimmy can stay here with the kids until we get back."

"Affirmative, Dr. AG."answered JZ with a salute.

"AG?"asked the bone-digger with a raised eyebrow while the Kratt Brothers tried their hardest not to laugh.

"I guess you're right."relented the Kratt in blue, turning for the exit.

"Be back soon, you guys."assured Chris. "We promise." With that the trio made their way out the door, leaving Jimmy and the kids to gorge themselves.

Once they were outside, the three men descended the staircase, discussing their next course of action. Chris, who had been trying to contact either Aviva or Koki through the Creaturepod, sighed in defeat. No answer. "Don't worry, dude."said Martin, sensing his brother's anxiety. "They couldn't have gone very far. And I know just how to find them."

With a wink, the Kratt in blue dashed to the middle of the roadway, giving him enough room before pushing the button on his vest. "Activate T-rex Power!" In a vibrant flash of blue, the very earth shook as Martin once more transformed into his gigantic Tyrannosaurus form that now towered nearly two stories above Chris and Alan.

The blue tyrannosaur then began to sniff the air, slowly waving his massive head before the gentle tropical breeze.

"Of course!"exclaimed the paleontologist as the realization hit him. "T-rex may have had poor eyesight, but they made up for it with incredible hearing and a sense of smell that rivals that of just about any other creature in the fossil record."

"And that's exactly how I was able to find you guys in the jungle last night."added Martin Rex, nodding in confirmation.

"Only the turkey vulture has a larger olfactory cavity."

"And if I'm not mistaken, they can smell a carcass from over ten mil–" but Chris was cut off by a snort from Martin.

"I got something!"bellowed the Kratt in Rex form suddenly, grabbing their attention. Lowering himself on the ground, he allowed his brother and the bone-digger to climb upon his back before taking off with a thunderous roar, crashing through the undergrowth, hot on the trail taken by the others.

It was several minutes into their trek before Martin came to a stop on the middle of a jungle clearing.

"Why'd we stop?"asked Alan.

The Kratt in green was about to answer when he spied a violet object among the grass below them. It looked out of place in this green setting. Landing steadily on his feet, Chris dismounted from Martin's back to investigate. A gasp escaped his lips as he recognized the violet gadget in his hands.

"Aviva's Creaturepod!"

"She probably dropped it or some–" The blue Rex froze mid sentence upon hearing rustling among the foliage. Sniffing once more, he caught scent of a disturbing, musky odor mixed with the metallic essence of blood. Soon his blue eyes were met by two pairs of yellow ones as a pair of dark silhouettes stared at the trio from their place in the undergrowth at the edge of the clearing. "Nobody move."he whispered. "We're being watched."

Chris felt a chill run down his spine as he followed Martin's line of sight.

"Oh my God."murmured the paleontologist from his place on the tyrannosaur's back, recognizing the dark shapes. "Velociraptors." He then looked over his shoulder, to be sure they hadn't walked into an ambush.

Peering closer, Chris could've sworn that one of the raptors' muzzles was stained with fresh crimson. The creatures didn't attack. They only continued to stare at them through seemingly unblinking eyes. Martin uttered a deep growl from his throat, staring right back at their observers.

Then as suddenly as they appeared, they vanished like smoke among the trees.

A moment of dead silence followed. At least until Chris spoke with great urgency, saying, "We gotta find Aviva, Koki, Dr. Sattler and the others before the raptors get to them!" The Kratt in green shuddered, remembering the graphic demonstration the vicious predators gave with a tethered cow. He couldn't bear the idea of anyone, especially his girlfriend, facing a similar fate. "I just hope we're not too late."

"We're not."replied Martin, analyzing the smell of the Creaturepod in his brother's hand. "Aviva's scent is still strong. She passed this way very recently, and she wasn't alone; Koki and Dr. Sattler were with her too." The blue Rex's nose pointed towards a small trail at the edge of the clearing. "That way!"

"Then what are we waiting for?"said Alan before all three shouted in unison: "Let's ride!"

No more was said as the Kratt in T-rex form thundered on through the path at top speed, Chris jogging alongside with him, aided by a Wolf Power Suit. The jungle's silent atmosphere was broken by an unearthly bellow and an eerie howl.

 _ ******Meanwhile...******_

After the attack, Aviva, Koki and Ellie were unusually quiet and subdued. Exhausted from running, the trio made their way slowly back to the emergency bunker, eyes glancing in all directions. As they traveled, they exchanged very few words, for fear that the Velociraptors would be enticed by even the slightest sound. But so far, there was no sign of the deadly carnivores.

Suddenly, the jungle's silence was broken by an earthshaking roar not far behind them.

"What was that?"asked Koki nervously, flinching at the unfamiliar and terrifying sound. Ellie and Aviva felt their blood run cold. Unlike the technician, the duo immediately recognized the sound as the primeval cry of Tyrannosaurus rex, and it sounded close.. _very close._

"T-rex."they replied simultaneously.

The T-rex's trumpet was then followed by a spine-tingling howl.

"What the hell?"muttered a very confused paleobotanist. "Am I the only one who heard that?" The inventor and the technician both shook their heads, confirming her suspicions. There was no mistaking the howl of a wolf.

"Unless Mr. Hammond bred wolves on this island, then I bet that must've been–" but Koki was cut off by the sound of a large silhouette crashing through the undergrowth, tearing through foliage and knocking down trees. The foliage parted to reveal a massive, square head sporting rows of knifelike teeth as thick as bananas. From its place among the shadows, the creature then pierced the air with a blaring roar, a cry from some other world, frightening the birds roosted in the canopy, and shaking the trio's bones. Aviva and Ellie retreated slowly while Koki, frozen with fear, turned her head away, forcing her eyes shut as the monstrous head inched closer and closer, growling menacingly, until.. The T-rex bellowed in laughter. "You should've seen the looks on your faces."

The Tortuga technician's eyes flew wide open, recognizing the owner of that voice. "Martin?"she asked incredulously.

It was Martin all right, but he towered nearly twenty feet over their heads, beaming a T-rex smile, revealing all fifty of his massive teeth. Recovering from their shock, Aviva and Koki approached the Kratt in Rex form without further hesitation and embraced his massive snout. "It's good to see you guys are all right."

Without warning, Koki then punched Martin on the nose, causing the dinosaur to flinch in pain. "OWW!What was that for?"

"Don't you _ever_ scare us like that again."said the technician rather sternly. Curiosity then replaced anger as she couldn't help but ask,"How did you end up with Dino Powers anyway?"

"It's a long story."replied Martin.

"Wait a minute. Where's Alan?"questioned Ellie, joining them.

"Up here!"yelled a voice from on top of the blue tyrannosaur's back. Looking in the voice's direction, the trio spied said paleontologist perched high on Martin's shoulders, waving at them. The blue theropod then lowered himself close to the ground, allowing Alan to dismount, sliding along the massive tail. Grant's feet were barely planted in solid ground when he felt two arms embracing his neck tightly, almost squeezing the air out of him.

"Thank God you're okay! I was so worried,"whispered Ellie, emotion thick in her voice. Alan simply returned the embrace lovingly, rubbing her back comfortingly. "It's okay, Ellie. I'm here now."

 _They are so cute together,_ thought Aviva as she giggled upon seeing the happy couple, before a nagging thought came to her as she once again approached Martin, hands placed firmly on his snout. Voicing out her thoughts, the inventor asked,"Where's Chris?"

"I'm right behind you."came a voice just inches behind her, nearly startling Aviva out of her skin before she whirled around, briefly blinded by a brilliant green glow, before spying the creature adventurer, _her_ creature adventurer, bruised but alive and well.

"Chris!"

Without another word, she quickly closed the distance, wrapping the Kratt in green in a tight hug, afraid she might lose him again. Chris returned the embrace before his eyes widened as he felt Aviva's lips pressed against his own;however, he eventually relaxed into the kiss and began to return it. The kiss was slow and sweet, lasting until both had to part for air. Breathing heavily from the need for oxygen, both Chris and Aviva stayed close enough so that their foreheads touched as they looked into each other's eyes, stormy gray meeting hazel brown, forgetting all else, until:

"So..are we gonna head for that bunker, or do we have to watch you two exchange spit?"asked a mischievous Martin, smugly grinning at the pair.

" _Martin!_ "exclaimed Aviva and Chris simultaneously, faces beet-red with embarrassment, earning laughs from the older Kratt and everyone else.

"All kidding aside, we need to get out of here." With that, the Kratt in T-rex form rose to his full height, eyes darting in all directions. "This jungle isn't safe."

"Well, the emergency bunker's just around the corner."replied Ellie, gesturing towards the trail they were following.

"Everyone, get on the Martinosaurus!"remarked Chris jokingly, earning him a playful thwack on the head from said Martinosaurus' tail, who nonetheless obliged, lowering his massive bulk to easier allow his passengers to climb aboard his back.

"Wait a minute, where are the kids?"asked the paleobotanist, taking notice of their absence.

"And where's Jimmy?"added Koki.

"We'll explain on the way there."reassured the two men and dinosaur in unison, much to their surprise, before they burst into laughter. The three women simply rolled their eyes. Ellie then whispered to Aviva,"They really are growing on Alan.." The inventor giggled. _Men_...

Feeling that his passengers were all accounted for, Martin Rex took off with a loud roar, heading for the bunker, away from the primal carnage running rampant in the jungle's green depths.

 ** _****Twenty Minutes Later...****_**

"And _that's_ when we ran into you guys."

After Aviva, Koki and Ellie finished their story, from turning the power back on to Bloody Mary's attack and Muldoon's death, everyone seated at the table was in a state of shock. For the longest time, not a word was said, until an injured Dr. Malcolm broke the ice saying,"That's uhh.. very unfortunate for Mr. Arnold and Mr. Muldoon,"

Everyone was silent, including the normally gregarious Kratt Brothers, who bowed their heads solemnly at the mention of the game warden. Now they knew who's blood stained the Velociraptor's snout.

"The good news is that you guys are alright."said Chris, embracing his girlfriend tightly, almost as though to protect her from the perils lurking outside. They were soon joined by Martin and Koki.

"Now all we need to do now is to find Jimmy and the kids, reestablish a connection to the phones, call the InGen airlift, and fly out of here."declared Koki once the group hug parted, numbering each task with her fingers. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Sounds like a wonderful plan," replied the mathematician from his place on the table."except for one thing: the path between here and the Visitors Center's probably crawling with raptors. How're you gonna get pass–"

But the mathematician was cut short as the ringing of Martin's Creaturepod echoed across the bunker's concrete walls, mildly startling everyone. As the Kratt in blue answered, a holographic screen appeared, revealing Jimmy Z.

"M-Martin? Chris? Guys?"whispered the pilot.

"Jimmy!"exclaimed the rest of the Wild Kratts team excitedly before before being cut off by the nervous pilot. " _Shhh!_ Not so loud! She'll hear us."he warned silently, finger against his lips.

" _Who_ will hear you, Jimmy? What's going on?"whispered Chris.

"As soon as you guys left, this Velociraptor showed up."

"Oh no! Where are you? Are the kids okay?"asked Martin.

"The kids are fine. They're with me. We're hiding in the kitchen and– _she's at the door!_ Wherever _you_ guys are _, get over here asap_! Zap out!" And the holographic screen disappeared.

A moment of silence followed.

"This situation's just got a whole lot more crucial."stated Chris, acknowledging the elephant in the room. "We need to get back to the Visitors Center, rescue Jimmy, Lex and Tim, and reconnect the phon–"

"While at the same time dodging voracious predators that want to kill us."added the Kratt in blue.

"Right. That too.."

"It's just the two raptors, right?"questioned Alan, addressing Ellie while loading a rifle he took from Muldoon's cabinet. "You're sure the third one's contained?"

"Yes, unless they figured out how to open doors."replied the paleobotanist.

"Which is probably how they got in there in the firs–OWW!" The inventor flinched in pain as she tried to lean against one of the counters.

"Are you okay, Aviva?"asked the Kratt in green worriedly, noticing Aviva muttering and cursing in her first language while rubbing the affected area.

"I'm fine, Chris."she replied, fumbling through her pocket. "Just forgot about that sack Mr. Muldoon gave me."

"You didn't tell us anything about a sack."said Koki inquisitively.

"What's in there?"asked the creature adventurers in unison, staring at the bag in the inventor's hand in fascination.

Digging through the bag, Aviva withdrew its content, gasping in mild surprise upon seeing the object held within her hand. The rest of the team stared in shock, eyes as wide as saucers, jaws dropped. Alan and Ellie immediately recognized it.

"What is it?"asked Hammond.

"It's.."said Martin.

"It's.."repeated Chris, before they said in unison, "A Velociraptor claw." And indeed it was the fabled killing weapon wielded by the primeval hunter, six inches long, curved, and as sharp as a razor.

It wasn't long before the Kratt Brothers exchanged knowing glances.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"asked Martin.

"Oh, I'm totally thinking what you're thinking, bro."replied the younger Kratt with a wink.

"For once, I'm definitely thinking what you're both thinking, I think."added Aviva, rolling her eyes in amusement, seeing those familiar looks.

"Tell me, what _are_ you all thinking?"asked the slightly bewildered mathematician. "It's creepy enough that those two share the same thoughts." Hammond couldn't help but chuckle.

"Velociraptor Powers!"exclaimed the Wild Kratts team, voicing out their thoughts.

"Fight fire with fire, I always say."mused Malcolm.

After several minutes, with the help of the M.I.K, advice from the paleontologist, and recalling all that the game warden had informed them the day before, the Velociraptor Power Disks were set.

"Activate Raptor Power!"

For a brief moment, the bunker was illuminated by two brilliant flashes of blue and green light. Once it cleared, in the spot Martin and Chris once were, now stood two raptors who were currently admiring their newfound powers.

"This is so awesome!"shouted Martin excitedly.

"Umm.. Guys?"said Aviva, trying to get their attention.

"Totally!"agreed Chris, "The binocular vision of this suit is off the charts!"

"Hey, you guys!"piped up Koki, waving a hand in Martin's face.

"And check out the claws! Wicked!"praised the blue raptor, stretching out a three-toed foot, admiring the talons at their tips, especially the large blade on the middle toe.

" _Guys!"_ yelled the Wild Kratts girls simultaneously.

The two Raptor Brothers turned their heads, facing the inventor and computer whizz, who were both wearing deadpan expressions. "Aren't you two forgetting something?"questioned Aviva.

"Yeah, like oh, I don't know: _JIMMY AND THE CHILDREN ARE TRAPPED IN THE KITCHEN WITH BLOODTHIRSTY DINOSAURS!_ "added Koki, letting her temper flare.

"Oh."replied the creature adventurers sheepishly.

"Right."said Chris, rubbing the back of his neck before he spoke up, in a voice full of authority," Alan, you're coming with us to rescue the others. We could use some backup." The paleontologist nodded. The Kratt in green then addressed the Tortuga technician. "Koki, you're coming too. You know computers better than anyone, so we'll need your help in reconnecting the phones."

"You got it, CK."she replied.

"Aviva, you stay here with Ellie and Mr. Hammond until we get back. Ian could also use some more treatment for his leg."

The green raptor was about to lead his troop up the stairs when, to his mild surprise, he felt a pair of arms tightly wrapped around his neck.

"No. I'm coming with you!"announced the Tortuga inventor before being joined by the paleobotanist. "Count me in as well."

"Ellie, no."protested Alan from his place by the edge of the stairs.

Chris heaved a sigh, before replying sternly, "No, Aviva. You can't come."

"I can't risk losing you again! Not while I can help it."

"But it's too dangerous! I can't risk losing you either!"exclaimed the Kratt in raptor form, unwittingly baring his teeth before taking a deep breath. Then he said gently, mustering as much calm as he could, "If anything were to happen to you, I'd never forgive myself."

"We're Wild Kratts. It's an occupational hazard." reminded Aviva. "Whatever happens, we'll face it together." Chris heaved a sigh of defeat.

"But what about Dr. Malcol–" but his excuse was cut off as the mathematician spoke up from his place on the table, raising his hand for silence. "I'm fine, Chris. Thanks for your concern, but you don't need to worry about me. Jimmy Z and the kids are in grave danger as we speak, and you my friend will need her more than I do, all the help you can get."

Chris then turned his attention to InGen's CEO, who nodded before saying,"He's right. Don't worry; I can take care of business from here. We'll be just fine. But keep my grandchildren safe."

"We will."replied the creature adventurer with a wink before turning back to his girlfriend. "Let's go. I bet the others are waiting outside." A blaring roar from above confirmed his statement.

"Yeah. Don't want to keep 'em waiting."replied Aviva. With that, she followed the green raptor upstairs into the blinding light. Once outside, the sight that greeted the couple's eyes was the whole cavalry all accounted for, saddled up on Martin's back, who changed back into his T-rex form. "Why walk when you can ride?"remarked the blue Rex with a wink.

The two then exchanged knowing looks. "He's got a point. Care for a ride, Miss Corcovado?"asked the green raptor coyly, with a slight bow.

Giggling, she replied,"I thought you'd never ask, Mister Kratt."

 _ ******Thirty Seconds Later...******_

Soon the two Dino Brothers were racing full speed through the jungle trail, Chris and Aviva in the lead, the former using his supreme agility to leap over many an obstacle, though all the while careful with his precious cargo, while Martin Rex thundered on behind them, with his passengers in tow, crashing through trees and foliage like a living bulldozer. Raptor Chris slowed down sufficiently enough for his seven-ton brother to catch up.

"Saving Jimmy, Lex and Tim, "panted the blue tyrannosaur before being joined by the green theropod as they both roared in unison,

" _With Dino Powers!_ "

Once more that afternoon, the forest's tranquil atmosphere was shattered by a primeval roar, this time being joined by a bloodcurdling raptorial shriek as the two raced on, back to the Visitors Center.


	24. Velociraptors in the Kitchen

After Alan and the Kratt Brothers departed the restaurant in their search for the others, Jimmy, Lex and Tim were enjoying their time filling their bellies with as much dessert as they could eat, while at the same time, the newly recruited Wild Kratts kid asked the Tortuga pilot question after question about the duties and responsibilities he had of being part of the team, about previous creature adventures which the latter answered with much enthusiasm.

"So what's it like to be a Wild Kratts kid?"asked the ten-year old.

"Oh, you're gonna love it, little buddy,"replied JZ with his mouth full of cheesecake. "Soon you'll get a brand new Creaturepod like mine, and you'll be able to inform us Wild Kratts abou–what's the matter, dudette? You're shaking like a leaf."

The duo's attention turned to Lex, who's eyes suddenly widened, a spoonful of lime jell-o quivering in her shaking hand. Both Jimmy and Timmy turned around, looking at the transparent mural painted in the background, which depicted a scene from a primordial jungle in a time long past, before their eyes fell on a Velociraptor painted in a hunting pose. As they continued to stare, a shadowy figure suddenly moved from behind the illustration, slowly creeping their way. _A real Velociraptor._

A quiet gasp escaped Tim's lips upon seeing the eminent threat while Jimmy's blood ran cold, heart racing in terror. The Tortuga pilot's eyes darted in all directions before spying a steel door with a circular window which led to the kitchen.

"Follow me!"JZ whispered. Without another moment to lose, the trio made their way to the kitchen as swiftly and silently as possible. The moment both Murphy siblings passed through the door, Jimmy quietly shut the metal door before killing the lights, submerging them in semidarkness. They walked down one of the kitchen aisles before taking cover behind a counter, breathing hard.

"Call for help."murmured Lex, gesturing towards the pilot's Creaturepod.

Regaining his breath, Jimmy pulled out his Creaturepod, quickly calling Martin's contact. _C'mon. Pick up, pick up, pick up,_ the redhead pleaded before a holographic screen materialized out of thin air, revealing Martin and Chris on the other end.

"M-Martin? Chris? Guys?" he whispered before being answered by a loud chorus of excited voices which could only mean the rest of the Wild Kratts team.

"Jimmy!" _Too loud for his liking_.

" _Shhh!_ Not so loud! She'll hear us."he cautioned, finger against his lips.

" _Who_ will hear you, Jimmy? What's going on?"whispered Chris.

"As soon as you guys left, this Velociraptor showed up."

"Oh no! Where are you? Are the kids okay?"asked Martin in obvious concern.

"The kids are fine. They're with me. We're hiding in the kitchen and–" he paused upon spying a reptilian head pop into view at the window, peering into the darkness for a moment, its hot breath fogging up the glass. " _she's at the door!_ Wherever you guys are, _get over here asap!_ Zap out!" And he hung up.

"They'll be on their way."he whispered reassuringly. "Don't worry, guys; so long as she's out there, nothing wil–" but Jimmy's optimism was short lived as he heard a faint thumping as the raptor pushed its head against the door, followed by a soft click. The trio then watched in shock as the door handle started to turn, before the metal barrier was swung open, flooding the kitchen with light as the predator stood stood at the doorway, drawing itself to its full height, looking around.

 _The world loves to prove me wrong, doesn't it?_

After a moment of dead silence, a series of sharp barks echoed across the kitchen, causing the trio to cover their ears to block out the awful sound. A moment later, a second guttural growl told them that a another raptor had arrived on the scene. Escaping the kitchen was going to be no easy task.

 _Oh, snap.._

Hearing that the two dinosaurs started stalking slowly in their direction, Jimmy motioned with his head, whispering, "This way."

He carefully crawled down the aisle between the second and third set of the metal counters, with the kids in tow, following each movement of the raptors, which were going in the opposite direction. The pilot shuddered, as he could see one set of feet, each foot armed with formidable talons, through the open cabinets with the pots and pans. But he didn't stare for very long before he continued leading the children away.

All of a sudden, the Velociraptor closest to them knocked over some pans onto the floor with its long tail, and causing the trio to sprint crawl to the next island counter to hide, just seconds before the raptor's head jutted through an open cabinet, investigating the scene suspiciously.

The trio reached the end of the aisle and around the corner, but Tim was falling behind, and unwittingly brushes against a rack of hanging kitchen utensils, causing a metallic ladle to fall to the ground with a loud clatter. Both raptors turned their heads towards the direction of the strange sound. One jumped onto the counter to get a better view, while the other remained on the ground, both closing in on the hidden boy.

Noticing the two theropods approaching the ten-year old's hiding place, JZ motioned for Lex to remain silent as the pilot made his way slowly back for Tim. For a brief moment, he froze, almost held back by sheer terror, but he quickly banished his fear, and focused on the task at hand, and the consequences if he wasn't successful. Halfway across the aisle, he got hold of a large metal spoon. Peering over the counter, while remaining hidden from view, he spied the two Velociraptors, one of them just a hair's length away from the boy. _Hands, don't fail me now,_ thought the pilot.

The predator on the floor was just about to turn the corner where Tim sat, exposed and exhausted, when a loud crash was heard from the other end of the kitchen. Both reptilian heads shot up at the noise before the raptor on the counter leaped over to the scene to investigate, briefly disappearing behind the first aisle. The raptor reappeared, with a metal spoon in its teeth. Tim took advantage of the distraction to crawl over to where Jimmy was waiting. Both were about to make it back to the other end when they halted upon hearing a clicking sound coming from that general direction.

It was Lex. The twelve-year old was tapping a gravy spatula on the tile floor, attracting the other carnivore's attention. She then climbed inside an open steel cabinet and frantically tried closing it. _But it was jammed!_ The boys looked on in horror as the Velociraptor uttered a bloodcurdling screech, charging straight for the trapped girl. She screamed, seeing the raptor was coming for her, but instead of reaching her, it lunged at the girl's reflection on the metal cabinets in front of her. It had chased the wrong image. Seeing the predator fall to the floor, semiconscious from the impact, Lex took the advantage to hide elsewhere.

"One down, another to go."whispered JZ. "But how to get rid of _her_.."

While Jimmy was busy pondering, Tim spied a walk-in freezer at the end of the kitchen. With that, he formed a plan of his own. _If we could just lure the raptor in there, we could trap it_ , he thought. Taking a few breaths and a quick peek at the standing dinosaur, the new Wild Kratts kid darted for the freezer at full speed. The second Velociraptor quickly spotted the fleeing boy, and with a tremendous leap, it landed right in Tim's path, blocking off his escape.

" _Timmy!/ Little dude!_ "cried Lex and Jimmy simultaneously, seeing the deadly carnivore slowly advance upon his quarry, who was paralyzed with fear.

With his back against the counter, Tim shut his eyes tightly, turning his head as he waited for the raptor to make a swift end of him. But the teeth never came, nor the slashing claws. Only a metallic clang and a heavy thud was heard. Forcing his eyes open, the ten-year old spied Jimmy Z standing over the fallen raptor, frying pan held in both hands. The vicious carnivore was knocked out cold.

"I'll take that one to go."remarked the redhead jokingly before, to his surprise, he felt two pairs of arms wrapped around him.

"Thank you, Jimmy Z."said the Murphy siblings in unison, grateful to the redhead for saving them from a potentially deadly situation.

"Anytime, kids."replied the Tortuga pilot, returning the hug before taking another glance at the unconscious raptors. Soft snorts and groans told the trio that it wouldn't be long before the voracious predators would be awakening soon. "Now let's get on outta here."

But no sooner had the trio bolted out of the kitchen when they literally crashed into two more raptors! The children and the pilot screamed in terror while their new assailants uttered humanlike screams of shock and surprise before the blue one screeched, " _Why are we all yelling?!_ "

Soon the screaming came to a halt, fear being replaced by surprise. "Martin? Chris? Is that you?"asked a wide eyed Tim. The two Kratts in raptor form simply nodded.

"Yes, Timmy. It's them."answered a voice behind the Raptor Brothers. The three looked to see none other than Dr. Alan Grant with Ellie Sattler at his side.

"Where's the raptor?"asked Chris.

"In there."answered Lex, pointing back to the kitchen they had just left.

"Two of 'em. Both unconscious."added the pilot before he asked, "Where are Koki and Aviva? Where's everybody else?"

"They're both in the control room as we speak, trying to reconnect the phones."answered Martin. "Hammond and Dr. Malcolm are in the emergency bun–" but the blue raptor was cut off by piercing shrieks from within the kitchen. _The two Velociraptors were now fully awake_.

"Let's get to the control room, now!"said the paleobotanist.

"You guys head to the control room. Martin and I will hold them off."growled Chris. No one needed to be told twice. The moment the rest of the procession evacuated the restaurant, the two Velociraptors poured out of the kitchen in a killing rage, only to come to a full stop before the Raptor Brothers, tilting their heads in curiosity. They had never seen the likes of these two raptors before.

"Check out their movement."whispered the green raptor to his brother. "It's very birdlike." Martin nodded in agreement.

"Well the word raptor _does_ mean 'bird of prey.'"

All of a sudden, the predator closest to them began hissing at the pair in hostility, teeth bared, tail swishing in agitation. The second raptor did likewise. They will not take kindly to these strange newcomers.

"It's a territorial threat display."whispered Martin in recognition. "These guys think we're trespassing on their turf. It doesn't look like we'll receive a very warm welcome from them."

"But we can't let them escape."replied Chris. "Who knows what they'd do to the others?"

The two theropods then went into a pre attack crouch, yellow eyes glaring at their would-be victims. At that very moment, Martin and Chris assumed their fighting stances. "If that's how you two want to play it–" but Chris was cut off by a bloodcurdling screech from his adversary, as it readied its killing claws to deliver a lethal blow. "Very well."said the blue raptor, staring right back at their opponents before preparing his own claws. His brother did likewise.

"Let's dance."


	25. Jurassic Stand-Off

In the Jurassic Cafe, all was silent as the Raptor Brothers continued to warily eye their adversaries, a pair of bloodthirsty Velociraptors, as both sides waited as still as stone, not wanting to be the first to strike. More silence..before it was shattered by bloodcurdling screeches as both raptors sprung off the ground, almost effortlessly leaping ten feet in the air, _straight for the two creature adventurers!_

"Raptor attack! Twelve 'o'clock!"yelled Martin, narrowly avoiding one set of deadly claws as Chris performed a backflip maneuver, dodging a pounce that would've rendered a normal human defenseless.

"Martin, watch out!" But Chris' warning was of little use as Martin's attacker managed to pin the blue raptor under her weight, her snapping jaws trying to reach his neck, attempting to end the life of the intruder. But the older Kratt was able to throw off his attacker using his powerful hind legs, sending the raptor crashing into a nearby table. At the same time, Chris managed to tail whip his adversary in the face before ramming her stomach, causing the dinosaur to collide into the all-you-can-eat table.

"Y'know, I hate being mean to creatures, but these two really mean business."remarked the blue raptor, taking a glance at his fallen rival, who was temporarily knocked out.

"I hear ya bro. But you gotta admit, these are the best creature powe–" but the green raptor's statement was interrupted by a piercing shriek, and without further warning, felt three razor-sharp claws raking across his snout, temporarily blinding him. Chris had just enough time to duck before dodging another claw swipe, only to be thrown back several yards by a powerful kick along his flanks, causing the green raptor to collide headfirst against a nearby column. The impact had knocked the wind out of the Kratt in green.

"Chris!"cried Martin, seeing his fallen brother, now at the mercy of the vicious predator who placed one of her talons at his throat. Before the raptor could deal the final blow, she felt herself being flung away from her victim as the blue interloper wrestled the dinosaur to the ground, his teeth firmly fixed on her neck, immobilizing the carnivore under his weight.

"You mess with him, you're messing wit–"growled the blue Velociraptor between his teeth before his opponent escaped his grasp with a claw swipe to his face, allowing her back on her feet as she stared coldly at her enemy. Martin glared back.

Without warning, the primeval hunter flew forward, only to be met by the blue theropod in a midair spring, before both crashed to the ground. This time, the Velociraptor gained the upper hand, restraining a struggling Martin underneath her talons, flashing her serrated teeth just inches away from his face.

However, a loud barking call stayed her fatal strike. Glancing upward, she spied her comrade, recovered from her sling into the table, who was now gesturing with her muzzle towards the restaurant's exit. With an answering shriek, the raptor raced over to her companion before both left the arena, on the hunt for other game.

 _Oh no!_ thought Martin, regaining

his footing, shaking the dizziness out of his throbbing head, eyes widening in horror. _They're after the others! I must stop them!_ He then rushed over to Chris, who was still laid motionless on the ground. Fearing the worst, he leaned his ear against the younger Kratt's chest, checking for a pulse. His heart was still beating.

 _Thank goodness_ , he thought before racing towards the exit. He then took a moment to glance back at his unconscious brother. "I'll be back, bro. I promise."

With that, the Kratt in raptor form took off, hot on the trail taken by the deadly predators. _I hope I'm not too late..._

 ** _****Meanwhile...****_**

In the control room, Aviva and Koki were hard at work by Nedry's computer terminal, trying to reboot the system, while Ellie, Jimmy, Lex and Tim looked on. Alan, who was guarding the door, noticed two silhouettes creeping slowly down the stairs, approaching the doors. A small gasp of horror escaped the paleontologist's lips as he realized that they weren't the Kratt Brothers. _The Velociraptors had somehow managed to get passed them_.

"The door locks!"shouted Grant over his shoulder. "Ladies– boot up the door locks!" Turning back to his post, the bone-digger's eyes were greeted by the blazing eyes and flashing fangs of the two raptors just right outside the door, staring back at him through the small window before one of them tilted its head down.

Realizing what the raptor was looking at, Alan quickly took hold of the door handle, but the creature proved too strong for him as she used her dexterous forearms to pull the handle down, while her comrade attempted to push the door open, momentarily throwing him off balance, causing him to drop his shotgun in the process. But Grant held his ground, narrowly dodging a deadly set of snapping jaws that crept through the narrow opening.

Seeing the dangerous situation faced by the paleontologist, Ellie rushed to his aid, soon being joined by Aviva and Koki, the latter who assaulted the protruding face with an office stapler, causing the predator to scream in pain, reeling back as a staple buried itself in her nose.

"Don't tell the Kratt Bros."muttered the technician, straining as she helped the rest of her friends. It was all they could do to hold the door against the onslaught, but it bucked against them viciously, even with their combined strength.

Jimmy Z was about to join the fray when he spied Grant's shotgun lying on the ground. _This can't be much different from Call Of Duty_ , he thought, picking up the firearm in both hands.

Suddenly a loud, deafening crack filled the control room, causing everyone to flinch in fright. Even the two raptors briefly froze before darting away from the door. The group briefly looked over their shoulders to see the Tortuga pilot grinning sheepishly, holding the gun in a firing position.

"Good shot, Jimmy Z!"complimented Alan, looking at the bullet hole in the window, taking the opportunity to catch his breath, as were the ladies.

"Jimmy! Are you crazy?! You could've killed me!"yelled Koki furiously, for the bullet whizzed right over her head, straight for the window.

"Sorry."replied JZ, chuckling nervously under the technician's glare before raising the weapon again with a gasp, yelling, "Guys! Behind you!"

The control room guardians turned to where Jimmy was pointing, and to everyone's dismay, saw that the two Velociraptors had returned to the door, glaring hatefully at them, baring their teeth before they both lowered themselves in a pre attack crouch. From her place by the window, Aviva noticed that one of the raptors had a fresh gash on her face, likely from the pellet that grazed it. _This time it was personal._

As the team braced themselves for a full-on assault, the vengeful predators made their leap. The humans prepared themselves for the worst, but not a single claw touched the door. Only piercing shrieks and a loud crash were heard from outside.

Peering through the window, they saw a blue figure spring forward, getting itself between the raptors and their intended targets. The scarred dinosaur crept a few feet forward only to be stopped by a hiss from the blue interloper. "Back off, Sharpshot! You're gonna have to go through _me!_ "

The group immediately recognized "Martin!" as the Kratt in raptor form glanced in their direction with a wink before engaging his adversaries in a full frontal attack.

As the battle with Martin and the Velociraptors raged on, Aviva signaled to Koki, saying," Now might be a good time to reboot the security system! Martin will distract them while we guard the door." The inventor then addressed JZ. "Jimmy, we could use some cover fire," she ordered, noticing that the raptors were gaining the upper hand in the fight.

"You got it, Aviva."replied the armed pilot with a salute, before firing a warning shot through the shattered window, briefly scaring the raptors as the shot whizzed right over their heads. Raptor Martin took advantage of that momentary pause to launch a surprise assault on his two opponents.

"Is that a staple on your nose?"remarked the blue theropod to no one in particular, noticing a staple imbedded in one of the carnivores' snouts. "In that case, I'll name you Stapler!" This earned a chuckle from both Alan and Jimmy, but a bloodcurdling screech from Stapler, who seemed to dislike her new title.

 _Where's Chris?_ wondered Aviva, seeing the blue raptor fighting the dinosaurs on his own.

As Koki raced back to the computer, she saw that Lex was already sitting before the monitor. Tim was beside her, watching his sister's progress. Glancing up from her work, the twelve-year old hacker stated, "I know this. It's a UNIX System. It has the files for the whole park. Like a phone book."

"Then we gotta find the right file."replied the Tortuga computer whizz, joining Lex.

Meanwhile in the combat zone, Martin was struggling to hold his own against Stapler and Sharpshot. The blue raptor fought his hardest, but he was outnumbered and outmatched by his stronger and faster opponents.

"Martin, watch out!" But Aviva's warning came too late as Martin felt himself being thrown a great distance as Sharpshot rammed the creature adventurer square in the ribs, sending him flying against the edge of he stairway.

Beaten and bruised, Martin could only stare helplessly as the two raptors creeped slowly toward him, considering their end game before..

" _INCOMING!_ "

The two Velociraptors had little time to move as a green, horned silhouette descended down the stairs, charging straight towards them, horns lowered before it rammed the predators against a wall, knocking the wind out of them.

"Chris!"exclaimed Martin. "Boy, am I glad to see you." And indeed, it was the Kratt in green, but in a Rhino Power Suit. "How are you feeling?"asked the older Kratt, remembering how Chris was knocked out during the first skirmish.

"Never felt–better.."replied the Kratt in rhinoceros form, hand on the spot where he hit the column, before he added with a wink, "Couldn't let you have all the action."

At that point, the door flew wide open to reveal Aviva and the paleontological pair waiting for them expectantly.

"Guys! Come on inside." said Aviva. "Koki and Lex will have the doors locked at any minute."

The Kratt Brothers didn't need to be told twice.

"Deactivate!"exclaimed the two creature adventurers simultaneously before heading for the door.

After making sure that Stapler and Sharpshot were out cold, the pair raced inside the control room where they were tackled by Aviva's tight embrace, soon joined by Jimmy and Koki. The Wild Kratts team was back together.

Behind them, the door locks were reactivated with a click, keeping them safe from the dangers outside. Without another moment to lose, Grant reached for a nearby telephone.

 ** _****Meanwhile...****_**

In the emergency bunker, Hammond was tending to a slowly recovering Malcolm when the ringing of a telephone echoed across the walls. The CEO of InGen left his vigil and hobbled as quickly as he could before he answered.

"Grant?"

" _Mr. Hammond, the phones are working_."replied the voice of the paleontologist on the other end.

"The children alright?"inquired the old man, worried sick about his grandchildren.

" _The children are fine, thanks to the Wild Kratts team._ "

"Thank God."he whispered in relief.

" _Call the mainland. Tell them to send the damn helicopters–_ " suddenly Grant stopped in the middle of his sentence. A scream cut in, " _They're breaking through the glass!_ " followed by three gunshots and a horrible clunking as the phone was dropped.

" _Grant!_ " cried Hammond. No answer.

"What happened?" Malcolm asked, still splayed out on the table.

"I'm not sure, but we need to get to them and fast! Something's gone terribly wrong!" Hammond told him as he quickly dialed a phone number, contacting the mainland.


	26. Dancing with Dragons

No sooner had Alan picked up the phone when the Velociraptors resumed their attack, as both theropods slammed against one of the observation windows, dodging the paleontologist's bullets, until it gave way in a shower of glass as the dinosaurs sprung into the control room, eying everyone maliciously, teeth bared, claws to the ready. In that same moment, the room was flooded by two radiant lights, briefly blinding everyone. Once the glow faded, the sight that greeted Stapler and Sharpshot were the Raptor Brothers, both in their fighting stances, getting between them and their would be targets.

"You guys get out of here!"warned the green raptor, turning towards the rest of the group who were making their escape through an open ceiling panel."We'll hold them off as long as we can!"added Martin.

"But Chris–" but Aviva was cut off by a sharp reply and bared fangs, "Just go!"

She simply nodded as she reluctantly followed everyone else up the ladder, disappearing within the safety of the ceiling. Seeing that everyone was safe, Chris then knocked over the ladder, courtesy of his long tail.

"Care for another rematch?"growled the blue raptor, glancing at Sharpshot who snarled viciously, while Stapler crouched at her side, eying Chris with a vengeance.

"It's on!"yelled the Raptor Brothers in unison, before taking on their primeval adversaries once more.

Away from the battle raging beneath them, Alan, Ellie, the Murphy siblings, and the remainder of the Wild Kratts team dashed across the ceiling panels, moving fast, but carefully, so as not to break through. Without warning, a large, scarred head crashed through a panel behind them, snarling and snapping just inches away from Jimmy's leg, earning a terrified shriek from the pilot. Sharpshot's head dropped shortly afterwards, and the group continued their escape.

"See! I had a bad feeling about those things in the beginning!"shouted JZ.

"Not the time, Jimmy!"replied Aviva, inwardly hoping that the Kratt Bros were faring well against the raptors.

Not long afterwards, another head, this time with a staple imbedded in her nose, erupted out of a panel only a hair's length away from Ellie, only to be pushed out of the way by a quick spring from the green raptor down below.

"Go on! We've got you covered!"shouted Chris.

Grant looked around frantically until his eyes fell upon an air duct a few yards away.

"Follow me!"

They continued moving, but Stapler's head crashed through the ceiling again, this time right underneath Lex!

The twelve-year old screamed as she was lifted up by the raptor's head, pinned to the ceiling above. The bone-digger immediately took action, smashing his boot into the side of Stapler's face. Infuriated by the blows, she tried snapping her jaws at Grant's foot before the dinosaur's weight pulled her back down with a crash, taking Lex with her as she clung for dear life at the edge of the panel.

In that moment Martin lunged forward, leaping effortlessly, pushing the girl into Alan's waiting arms before being tackled by an angry Stapler, sending them both crashing back down to earth. Grant and Lex then scrambled over to the air duct to join the others.

The blue raptor felt himself pinned beneath his attacker's weight as the Velociraptor was about to land the killer blow, only to be forcefully kicked aside by a streak of green, sending Stapler smashing against a wall.

"Thanks, dude."said Martin as Chris helped him back on his clawed feet.

"After saving me from a rampaging T-rex and hungry dinos, it's the least I can do, bro."replied the younger Kratt.

"Duck!" Without wasting time in asking, Chris immediately lowered himself as Sharpshot sprang towards him, only to be felled by a tail slap from the blue theropod. Regaining her footing, the vicious predator glared hatefully at the two imposters before being called to a halt by Stapler's barks. Sharpshot immediately gave an answering squawk back before racing down the halls, joining her pack mate.

"Oh no. Not this again!"exclaimed the blue raptor fretfully, eyes following the retreating dinosaur. Chris' own eyes widened in realization and horror, before recklessly following after Sharpshot, determined to stop the Velociraptor in her tracks. Martin followed not far behind, just as worried.

 _If they touch one hair on Aviva_.. thought Chris angrily, even angrier than he had been during the poacher incident, as he raced as fast as the hall would allow him. Little else was on the creature adventurer's mind except that his girlfriend, his second love aside from nature, the only other tether keeping him on this earth, was in mortal danger.

 _ ******Meanwhile...******_

The escapees descended down from out of the air duct, unto a platform that stood alongside the two towering skeletons in the lobby. They continued down to the second platform, then the third, before–a bloodcurdling shriek pierced the air, and looking in the direction of the sound, they spied Stapler standing to the side of the second floor railing, a murderous look clear in her eyes.

"Not again!"cried Koki.

"I'd be mad too if someone put a staple in my nose."remarked JZ, earning a deadpan stare from the technician.

It's too far a jump to the lobby floor, so Alan climbed onto the nearest skeleton, the massive sauropod. Everyone else soon followed his lead. Ellie and Aviva went to the tail. Lex and Koki moved to the front. Grant landed on the main body in the middle with Jimmy and Tim.

The Velociraptor then leaped forward, landing on the back of the sauropod skeleton, causing the enormous fossil to split into three sections, spinning in different directions, with their respective passengers clinging on tightly. Fortunately, they didn't fall to the ground yet since each section was dangling on the ceiling on supporting cables, but even those were beginning to give way as well. At this point, Sharpshot sprang out of cover, coming to a stop just below the collapsing skeleton, snapping her jaws, waiting expectantly for her chance to strike. _The raptors had set a trap._

Presently the scarred raptor came to the tail where the inventor and the paleobotanist clung on for dear life. However, the cables holding them began to groan under the weight before suddenly, it jerked violently, causing Aviva to lose her grip. This was the moment that Sharpshot had been waiting for.

Soon Chris arrived on the scene, where to his horror, he saw Aviva barely hanging on to the dangling sauropod's tail, out of Ellie's reach, with the Velociraptor snapping at her heels.

"Aviva!"exclaimed a horrified Chris from his place by the rail. _Raptor legs, don't fail me now.._ With that silent plea, the green raptor made his leap of faith, letting gravity take its course, pouncing straight for his target.

As Sharpshot prepared to make her final lunge, the green imposter landed square on the raptor's side, knocking her unconscious on impact. The carnivore was down before she even knew what hit her. Noticing that it was safe, and seeing her wild knight in green armor just below her, the inventor closed her eyes before releasing her grip, falling right into Chris' waiting arms.

"Are you alright, Aviva?"asked the Kratt in raptor form.

"I am now."replied Aviva dreamily before planting a kiss on Chris' cheek, causing him to blush bright red.

All of a sudden, the very earth shook behind them as Martin made his landing, once again in his T-rex form. Having lost his grip on the sauropod's rib cage, Tim felt himself free falling before being caught in Martin's gentle jaws. The Kratt in T-rex form then utilized his massive body to catch the rest of the group, still dangling like Christmas ornaments on the dismembered skeleton. From her place on the midsection, Stapler screeched a shrill challenge to the giant interloper, only to be sent flying in a shower of dust and bone debris by the blue Rex's powerful tail.

She landed a few yards away and staggered for a moment, the wind knocked out of her.

Martin then lowered himself on his belly to more easily allow his passengers to dismount.

"Mission accomplished!"cheered the Dino Brothers simultaneously, exchanging high threes/twos.

"We got the system up and running again," began Jimmy Z. "we outlasted a pair of vicious, bloodthirsty dinos, and we're back together. I say now's a good time to get outta here before–" but the Tortuga pilot stopped mid sentence upon seeing the shadow of a third raptor, bigger than the other two, standing behind the visqueen, before coming out from under the plastic, drawing herself to her full height.

"It's the alpha."whispered Alan.

"Bloody Mary."murmured the two Dino Brothers in unison.

As Mary slowly crept towards them, Alan, Ellie, Lex, Tim and the rest of the Wild Kratts team made their way between the safety of Martin Rex's enormous legs, while Raptor Chris guarded the front. The huge predator then uttered the familiar barking call to rally the rest of her comrades. A series of answering shrieks and squawks told them that Stapler and Sharpshot had recovered and were now fully awake. Soon the whole pack had them completely surrounded, as they circled the group, looking for any weakness.

"Be careful, gentlemen."cautioned the paleontologist, addressing both creature adventurers. "Velociraptors like to use coordinated attack patterns, so be on your toes."

"Thanks for the heads-up, Alan."said Martin, before addressing the group below him," Everyone. No matter what happens, stay close to us."

"Wait, what?!"exclaimed JZ, not liking where this was going. "Does that mean we have to–"

"I'm afraid so, Jimmy."replied Chris, without taking his eyes off the circling pack. "We have to fight our way out of this–" he said, before being joined by the blue theropod as they both roared in unison,

" _With Dino Power!_ "

Soon the group had to cover their ears as the primeval war cry of a Tyrannosaurus echoed throughout the Visitors Center, followed by the bone-chilling, raptorial challenge as the two radically different theropods faced their adversaries, prepared for the fight of their lives, to protect their friends and loved ones, or die trying.

With a piercing shriek from Bloody Mary, the Velociraptors began to rapidly close in on the huddled group from all sides. Stapler went for a head on attack, to be met in a midair spring by Chris' claws while Sharpshot attempted an assault from the rear, only to be at the business end of Martin's tail, sending the raptor flying back several yards.

"Martin, look out!"warned Tim, spying Mary stalking along the blue Rex's flanks. Seeing the pack leader on time, the Kratt in T-rex form was able to headbutt his adversary away just as the latter made her pounce. But at that point, Sharpshot, who had recovered from her sling across the rotunda, made her move, leaping on Martin's right flank, biting and slashing. Mary soon joined the onslaught, striking the left side, before assaulting the tyrannosaur's face, careful to avoid the snapping jaws.

The rest of the party had to scramble out of the way to avoid Martin's thundering feet, as the blue Rex struggled and shook violently in an attempt to shake off his attackers.

Meanwhile, Chris felt himself fall flat on his back, trying to protect his throat as Stapler tried reaching it, jaws snapping viciously. He was successful until he felt a horrible pain in his ribs as the Velociraptor buried her toe claw deep in his abdomen, causing the green raptor to screech in pain. Chris then summoned enough strength to kick his attacker off of him before the dinosaur could deliver the killing bite. The creature adventurer staggered back on his feet before Stapler pounced on him once more, meaning to finish him off.

Just as suddenly as it began, the attack ceased.

The Kratt in raptor form felt the theropod's weight leave him, and rising back in his feet, he saw, to his dread, Stapler turn her attention to Aviva, armed with nothing but the Robot Arm that extended out of her pack. The gadget swung and coiled, striking and pinching the Velociraptor's face. Angered by the stinging blows, Stapler snapped her jaws, grabbing the elongated machine in her teeth before biting it in half, rendering the contraption useless, disarming the inventor. Tossing the severed arm aside, the deadly predator advanced towards her new target, glaring daggers at the insolent human before slashing her left arm with her razor-sharp hand claws, earning a cry of pain from her victim.

That was enough to push Chris over the edge. He charged forward, forgetting the pain of his wounds, blood boiling, adrenaline pumping, before leaping straight at Aviva's assailant, tackling the raptor to the ground, his teeth firmly fixed on Stapler's neck. The raptor struggled to break free of her enemy's grip, but the green interloper was relentless, shaking her in his mouth before throwing her like a rag doll across the rotunda. But the agile carnivore quickly landed on her feet, claws digging into the tile floor to slow her down. Once more, she glared coldly at her opponent, who firmly stood between her and her offender. Chris glared back, before once more engaging Stapler in a full, frontal attack. However, this time the Velociraptor gained the upper hand, fatigue and his injury getting the better of the Kratt in raptor form.

Having her adversary pinned under her claws, Stapler was about to deliver the final blow when she was startled by a blaring roar. Following the retreating predator's line of sight, Chris could see Sharpshot and Bloody Mary get the better of Martin, wearing him down from exhaustion with their hit and run tactics. He had just enough time to roll out of the way as the Kratt in T-rex form came crashing to the ground, causing the lobby to shake with his fall. The two raptors then moved in to finish off their gigantic foe, Mary attempting to tear at his throat while Sharpshot immobilized Martin's massive head, rendering his jaws useless.

Chris summoned all his strength to get up and save his brother only to be tackled mercilessly under Stapler's talons.

"Run!" hollered an immobilized Chris while holding off the voracious carnivore's deadly jaws, noticing the rest his friends all huddled together, eyes widened in horror. "You all need to get out of here while you still can!"

"We're not leaving you!"cried Aviva, trying her hardest to control the tears welling up in her gray eyes as she rushed to his aid, striking the raptor square on the nose with a rib bone from the dismembered skeleton. She couldn't bear the idea of leaving for safety, with her two friends being left to face a grim fate. Jimmy and Koki shared the same notion, for as the enraged dinosaur charged, they both took the inventor's side, waving their bone clubs threateningly, briefly discouraging the dinosaur before all three stood by the fallen Kratts.

"Back off, you overgrown lizard!"shouted Koki, swinging her weapon in Stapler's face, who growled menacingly before being chucked by a flying bone projectile. The predator looked in the direction the missile came from and spied the paleontological pair coming to their friends' defense, closely followed by Lex and Tim. Seeing that she was outnumbered, Stapler called in her pack mates.

The other two raptors halted their attack on Martin before joining Stapler in cutting off the humans' escape.

"It's been a great pleasure being with you all,"announced Alan, sauropod bone in hand, preparing for what would surely be their final stand. The defeated Dino Brothers summoned what little energy they had left, slowly rising on their feet, unwilling to go down without a fight. The raptor pack slowly moved in for the kill, all three crouched in a pre attack stance, set for a massacre.

A period of silence.

Without warning, with the force of a runaway freight train, a massive head plowed its way through the unfinished side wall in a cloud of dust and debris, before a set of five-foot jaws clamped down on Stapler. Twelve-inch, bone-crushing teeth sunk deep into the Velociraptor's side, and the helpless creature shrieked in agony as she was lifted nearly twenty feet above the ground, before being shaken violently in her attacker's jaws. The other raptors abandoned their attack to deal with this new threat.

Everyone looked up in stunned amazement as they realized who had come to their rescue; none other than Tyrannosaurus Wrecksy. The huge theropod must have been attracted by the smell and noise of the battle and had come looking for easy pickings.

Martin and Chris chose that moment to deactivate back to their proper forms before joining the others who were perched behind the large rock holding the T-rex skeleton for safety. The massive predator then dropped Stapler, who lied dead at her feet. Sharpshot and Bloody Mary abandoned their attack on the group before engaging their new enemy who had just slaughtered one of their own. Before Wrecksy could devour the slain raptor, the Tyrannosaurus roared in pain as the alpha raptor lunged at her side, slashing and biting along the huge carnivore's neck and sides. Sharpshot soon joined in the melee, striking the Rex's right flank.

"A never before seen creature moment!"announced Martin.

"Two radically different apex predators, locked in mortal combat."added the Kratt in green. "Fangs against claws, speed against sheer size, intelligence against brute strength. Who will win?"

"On one end, we have the Velociraptor," said Alan in his best announcer's voice. "a formidable pack hunter, armed with formidable teeth and lethal claws–"

"And on the other end there's Tyrannosaurus rex, Queen of the Dinosaurs! Forty-feet long and armed to the teeth."replied Martin, rooting for the T-rex, who was trying to shake off her smaller but more agile adversaries, jaws snapping in her attempt to grab Mary.

"Umm..guys? Shouldn't we get going?"questioned the Tortuga computer whizz in mild disbelief. It seemed only moments ago that they were fighting for their lives against these creatures, but now they were watching the battle, wide eyed, as though it were another round of WrestleMania.

"Oh yeah."said Martin sheepishly."Totally forgot about that."

Rolling his eyes, the bone-digger took charge. "Right this way. Follow me." With that, he led the others around the battle royal out through the exit as the three dinosaurs clashed.

"If only we could just stay and watch."murmured Martin almost regretfully.

"I feel ya, bro."added Chris in agreement. "But we gotta get out of here before we end up as the main course. Let's not push our luck."

As the survivors made their way out the exit, the sun's setting light briefly blinded them before their eyes were greeted by a jeep parked in front of the stairs, the same beat-up vehicle from last night, Aviva and Ellie realize. Hammond was behind the wheel while Malcolm lied in the back.

"Mr. Hammond," Alan began, "after careful consideration, we've decided _not_ to endorse your park."

"So have I."replied the entrepreneur. As soon as everyone was loaded, Hammond hit the gas and the jeep took off.

 _ ******Meanwhile...******_

As the two raptors continued their assault, Wrecksy continued to rock and shake violently, eventually causing Sharpshot to lose her grip on the T-rex's flank, crashing to the ground. Before the Velociraptor could recover, a massive three-toed foot came down on her, crushing the life out of the smaller dinosaur.

One raptor down, the Tyrannosaurus then turned her attention to the leader of the pack, clinging and biting at her neck. A quick jerk caused Bloody Mary to lose balance before the raptor slid straight into the larger predator's open jaws. The smaller theropod struggled to free herself, but a crushing bite sealed her fate. Wrecksy then whirled around, throwing the dead raptor straight into the standing T-rex skeleton, causing it to collapse in an explosion of bones, falling to pieces around the living animal.

The Tyrannosaurus rex then rose to her full height before filling the lobby with a blaring, primeval roar of victory. The sound was loud and deafening, a cry from some other world, and the vibrations rattled the entire Visitors Center. The banner which dangled over the lobby by its one remaining wire finally fell in a heap at Wrecksy's feet.

'When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth.'


	27. Epilogue

As the tourist vehicle made its way across the green meadows, the very same spot where their prehistoric journey first began, the lucky survivors couldn't help but look down towards the shimmering lake and take one last glimpse of the herds of dinosaurs down by the water:

Ginkgo the Brachiosaurus and her kind lounging in the crystal clear depths, singing their ancient songs, and along the banks were dozens of crested Parasaurolophus, hooting and trumpeting among themselves as they came to the water's edge to drink. And from the distance came the thundering roars of Tyrannosaurus Wrecksy surveying her kingdom; the very voice of Isla Nublar bidding them goodbye.

Even after everything they've gone through the past two days, they couldn't look back without feeling a sense of awe and wonder, especially knowing that it could very well be for the last time.

 _ ******Twenty Minutes Later...******_

The helicopter roared to life as the chopper waited on the landing cross by the cascading waterfall, until the jeep pulled up next to the aircraft. First to disembark from the vehicle were the Wild Kratts team. A second chopper would come for the others soon afterwards. But before parting ways, the two teams exchanged their farewells.

"Take care, Dr. Malcolm–"said the Kratt in green, shaking the lame mathematician's hand before the latter corrected, saying, "Ian. Just call me Ian." Chris nodded.

"Oh, when you get back to Austin, be sure to tell Kelly we said 'Hi'."added Martin, approaching his brother's side.

"Don't worry, I will."

Meanwhile, the three women also exchanged their goodbyes. "It's only been two days, but I'm really gonna miss you guys."said Ellie.

"Don't worry; we'll keep in touch."replied Aviva with a wink, handing the paleobotanist a written phone number. Ellie smiled before adding, "If you're all ever up in Montana, feel free to call us."

"We will."responded the inventor and technician simultaneously before they all came together for a group hug.

Martin, Chris, Jimmy and Alan watched the whole scene unfold, rolling their eyes in amusement.

"Women."they all muttered in unison, much to their surprise before the guys burst into laughter. The Kratt Brothers then shook hands with the paleontologist after teaching him their secret handshake. "I wasn't kidding when I said it's been a great pleasure getting to know you all."

"Right back at ya, Dr. AG."replied JZ, giving said bone-digger a brofist.

"It's only been forty eight hours, and those four are already like BFF's" whispered Koki, earning chuckles from the inventor and paleobotanist.

Soon the whole team approached Lex and Tim, with Martin and Chris in the lead.

"I _do_ believe these are yours."said the Kratt in green, passing the siblings two sets of documents: Wild Kratts kids Certificates. Martin went on for his brother, "I think I speak for us both, for all of us when I say: Welcome to the Wild Kratts kids!"

"Me? How?"asked an astonished and excited Lex, while Tim beamed a wide grin, arms on his sister's shoulder, giving her a look that said, _Congratulations, sis!_

"You displayed exceptional skill on the computer,"replied Koki with a wink. "Believe me, I couldn't have done better myself." The twelve-year old blushed at the praise she received from the Tortuga computer whizz. "And that skill will be very important with helping creatures around the world."added Chris.

"Thank you all so much!"said Tim cheerfully. "We won't let you down!" Soon the three doctors also joined in to congratulate the new recruits. Chris distanced himself from the celebrating crowd for a moment and drew a deep breath of the tropical air, taking a brief glance of the island sunset. Presently, he saw Mr. Hammond lingering for a moment on the launch pad, looking back the way they had come as the primal sounds of the dinosaurs' cries echoed across the hills. He could tell that the old man was in devastation, now that his dream was in total ruins. Joined by Martin, the two creature adventurers walked over and placed a hand on each of the man's shoulders in comfort. As Hammond slowly turned his head towards them, Chris spoke, "We know you never intended for _any_ of this to happen, but as creature adventurers, we regret _nothing_ of this weekend."

"We've had a great privilege these past forty eight hours that other zoologists can only _dream_ of for their entire lives," added Martin earnestly. "And for that you have our thanks." The entrepreneur simply nodded in understanding and gratitude.

"Besides, you don't need to worry about the animals' well-beings. They're where they belong, living free and in the wild."said the Kratt in green, using his signature line.

"That and they're breeding on their own, just so you know.."murmured the older Kratt nonchalantly.

"They're what?!"asked an astonished Hammond, sure he had misheard the last part.

"We'll tell you more about it later."replied the pair in unison. At this point, Aviva shouted over the roar of the helicopter," Guys! Come on over here so we can take some pictures before we go!"

The three men exchanged glances before Martin broke into a sprint, yelling,"Last one's a rotten dinosaur egg!"

"Oh no you don't!"shouted Chris, quickly catching up to his brother.

"Slow down, gentlemen!"panted Hammond, trying his hardest to catch up. " I'm not as young as I used to be." The old man hobbled back to the landing pad to find everyone waiting for him expectantly, the two victorious Kratts in the lead.

Several mishaps and snapshots later, it was time to go.

After the Wild Kratts team were all strapped in, the pilots made sure to take turns lifting the aircraft off the landing pad, before making their way through the lush rainforest and green ravines. In almost no time at all, they were gliding over the island shores towards the open ocean, flying east of the setting sun.

From his place by the window, Chris silently looked around at his team, his family, glad they were all safe and sound. Martin sat across from him, Koki and Jimmy by his side, while Aviva sat beside the Kratt in green, her head resting on his shoulder.

Noticing something from the corner of his eye, Chris turned his attention out the window. Gliding over the surface of the water was a small flock of–

"Brown pelicans!"exclaimed Martin, feasting his eyes on the flying seabirds.

 _Alan was right_ , thought Chris, recalling the paleontologist's lectures of how birds descended from dinosaurs and the hoatzins back in the Amazon, whose chicks were living proof of their dinosaurian ancestry. _We'll definitely never look at birds the same way again._

 ** _**** Two Hours Later...****_**

During the entire flight back to Costa Rica, the team engaged in animated discussion, recalling each of their individual adventures, both good and bad, of thrilling discoveries and close calls, of unforgettable encounters of fearsome and amazing animals time had left behind.

The moment the helicopter landed, the Wild Kratts team disembarked from the aircraft making their way back to the Tortuga HQ, the remainder of their day already planned out.

"I can't wait to get back to the Tortuga, so I can order a deep dish pizza, or maybe play a few rounds of _Guitar Hero III_ , or maybe," here the pilot stifled a yawn. "Maybe I'll just take a nap."

"Sleep _does_ sound nice."added Koki in agreement.

"And as for _you_ _guys_ , I'll need to treat both of your injuries."said Aviva, addressing Chris and Martin, grabbing both Kratt Brothers by the hands; neither one of them had made it off the island unscathed. Martin was still beaten and bruised from the battle with the raptor pack, and there was no telling about the number of fractured bones from the T-rex attack. But it was Chris' wounds that gave her reason to worry. Not only was the Kratt in green covered in bruises and scrapes from head to toe, but he also sustained a deep gash on his torso where Stapler's toe claw almost put an end to him. Thankfully enough, the Cteature Power Suits safeguarded the two, preventing further damage being done.

"This is starting to become a habit I don't like."scolded the inventor, jabbing Chris' chest with her finger, giving her boyfriend a mock glare.

"Sorry, Aviva."replied Chris sheepishly, clutching his wounded side. "I'll try not to let it happen again," he then added while gazing at her lovingly, "though it's definitely worth keeping you safe. C'mere."

To Aviva's surprise, she felt herself being pulled by Chris' strong arm around her waist before her eyes widened as his lips came crashing against her own. But she wasn't about to complain; the inventor didn't take long to return the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck while the Kratt in green's own arms constricted at her waist.

"Thank you."whispered Chris after they parted, lost in each other's gaze, hazel brown eyes meeting stormy gray. "You know, you're kind of cute when your mad."

The inventor blushed in response.

By their side, Martin was about to chime in one of his wisecracks when he noticed Koki and Jimmy came rushing back towards them, yelling and gesturing frantically. The Kratt in blue looked in the direction the two had come, then wished he hadn't.

"Uhh.. Guys? I hate to be the one to break up this lovey dovey moment, but look!"'

The couple then looked to where the older Kratt was pointing, where an unpleasant sight greeted their eyes. Surrounding their green terrapin stronghold was an army of a dozen or more blackish gray robotic machines, each armed with pincers and drills attempting to penetrate the ship's outer defense. _Zachbots_. And where the buckets of bolts were, Zach Varmitech was never far away. The evil inventor was on a hovering platform nearby, barking orders to his mechanical henchmen, unaware of the Wild Kratts team's arrival.

The two creature adventurers shared knowing glances.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"asked Martin, holding a massive, serrated tooth.

Chris could barely contain the ever growing smirk on his face as he replied,"Oh, I'm totally thinking what you're thinking, bro." In his hand was a long, curved talon.

"Zach is _so_ gonna flip this time."murmured Jimmy Z to Koki and Aviva, who chuckled in response, knowing full well what would happen next.

Touching the activation buttons on their Creature Power Suits, the two creature adventurers charged into the fray, briefly enveloped in a blinding flash.

" _Activate Dino Power!_ "

 _ **The End**_


End file.
